The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-21 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL MARCH SESSIONS.

The March Sessions of the peace for the borough of Liver-
pool commenced yesterday in the Court-house, Chapel-street,
before James Clarke, Esq., Recorder. The calendar con-
tains the names of eighty-two parties for trial on charges of
felony and misdemeanour: of these only 1 is able to read and
write well; 2$ can read and write imperfectly ; 14 can read
imperfectly; whilst the great proportion of 39 are unable to
do either.

The Grand Jury was composed of the following gentle-
men :

JACOB FLETCHER, jun., Esq., Hanover-street, merchant,
Foreman.
Wm. Alexander Brown, Grecian-terrace, merchant.

Timothy Bourne, ExchaiT,e-street West, cotton merchant
Robert Carter Pedder, Strand-street, broker.

John Campbell, Netherfield-road North, broker
James C. Duncan, Chapel-street, merchant.

James Duncan, India•buildings, merchant.
Edw a d Gibbon, St. Anne-street, gentleman

Willibm H. Gilliott, Lord-street, merchant,

Thomas Grundy, Upper Kensington, merchant
Henry Hill, Old Churchyard, merchant.

_
Thomas Hobson, Rumford-place, merchant.
John Haseldine, Upper Parliament-street, shipbuilder
William Hope, Goree, merchant.
Charles Ironside,Water-street, merchant.

Timothy Jevons, New Quay, iron merchant.
Samuel Kearsley, Percy-street, broker.

William Lowe, -Canning-place,' corn merchant

Peter Leicester, Brunswick-street, corn merchant

David Lamb, Rodney-street, merchant

John Lomax, Duke's-place, shipbuilder.
George Langtry, Water-street, merchant.
The RECORDER, in his charge to the Grand Jury, said, it
mnst be highly gratifying to them to find that the peace of
the town, under the guidance of its excellent chief magistrate
and the borough magistrates, had been so well preserved
when it appeared to be threatened ; and it must also be
equally gratifying to know that their views and wishes, on
this important subject, had been so well seconded by the
sound discretion and good sense of other parties who might
unhappily have lent themselves to the excitement of bad
passions. The. calendar was by no means a light one, con-
sidering the very short interval between the present and the
last sessions. only a few weeks; but still their duties would
not be found laborious. There were, however, certain cases
which would require a great deal of consideration ; not that
they would present any difficulty in point of law, but because
the commission of the crimes had been attended with a great
deal of violence. He was satisfied that the Grand Jury
would give this class of cases their best consideration. The-
Clerk of the Court would lay before them some presentments
found by the Grand Jury at the last sessions, which were full
of good sense, and which he should wish them to look at
before they were discharged. These presentments pointed
out the very indiscreet ...)..aucrt of Loony ohotiKocticr
posing their property, whereby temptation was offered to
thieves; and at the last sessions, the view which he (the Re-
corder) took of such cases met with the unanimous approba-
tion of both juries. A stop should be put to the system.
If the parties themselves were careless to prevent crime, they
ought not to be the persons to come forward to press for
punishment ; but if they did come for justice, in consequence
of their own carelessness, some notice, lie thought, should
be taken of that fact; and, therefore, whenever he found
crimes committed from the carelessness of prosecutors in
exposing their goods, he should not allow the costs of the
prosecution. The judges had adopted a similar view, and he
should certainly act upon it. There were two or three cases
of that kind to come before them, and at the end of the
duties lie hoped they would be kind enough to point out
those cases in which there had been any degree of misconduct
upon the part of the owners of the stolen property, The
learned Recorder concluded by acknowledging the efficiency
of the police establishment; and the Grand Jury then retired
to their room.

Several cases of minor importance were tried during the
day ; and the Court rose about 5 o'clock. The sessions are
expected to terminate on Thursday.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT.-LIVERPOOL,
MONDAY, MARCH 20.

(Before David Pollock, Esg., Commissioner.)

William Langley, remanded from the last two circuits,
again applied for his discharge, and he was opposed by Mr.
John Newby Moore, on the part of the detaining and op-
posing creditors. It appeared that twelve months ago the
prisoner was ordered to be discharged conditionally, on the
payment into court of £l9O, alleged to be in the possession
of his brother-in-law, for the benefit of the general creditors.
The COMMISSIONER asked the insolvent whether he was
prepared to pay in the money according to the order of the
court ? _ _

The insolvent replied that he had been unable to obtain
the money. £l5 had on a former occasion been paid in ; but
he had himself no means of finding the £l9O on which he
had been remanded. His brother-in-law had the money,
and refused to part with it.
The COMNIISSIONER.—Your brother-in-law ought not to
have it : it ought to go to the creditors at large. How lately
have you applied to him for it ?
The Insolvent.—Within the last four months.
Mr. MOORE was about to enter on the examination of the
insolvent, when . . . . . .

The COMMISSIONER said, he had looked into the notes of
the learned commissioner who had sat on the case on the
former occasions, and the result was, he was satisfied that
the court had done all which the court could to get back the
money ; and the insolvent had thought it right to remain in
gaol now for fifteen months, instead of coming into court
with the money. By a note of the learc_ I commissioner, he
seemed to think that the insolvent was working out the sum
by remaining in prison; how much longer he might yet
think proper to remain he (the commissioner) knew not;
but, under the circumstances, it appeared to him that the
court had done all which it could to assist the creditors.
The insolvent had thought proper to remain in gaol long
enough to be punished for his misapplication of the money ;
therefore, in conformity with the minute of the learned com-
missioner who sat on the case in July last, the insolvent must
he discharged, as he had suffered imprisonment enough.—
Discharged. _ _ _ _

Charles Brown, cart-owner, was opposed by Mr. JAMES,
on the part of two creditors, Mr. Hugh Jones and Mr. Wil-
liam Tyson. It appeared that the insolvent had been ar-
rested by one James Beesley, a bailiff, but formerly a cart-
owner, for an alleged debtl of £5, contracted two years and a
half ago, for a horse. On inquiry, it turned out that this
was a friendly arrest, and there seemed to be doubts whether
the debt was genuine. The insolvent, in his examination,
stated that he had sold to Mrs. Jane Roberts, of Vauxhall-
road, two horses, two floats (a low cart), a set of gearing, and
some stable utensils, for £.lB odd. The sale took place the
first week in September, yet there appeared in the insolvent's
schedule a charge of £36 for provender for his horses be-
tween the Ist of September and the 2d of December, although
he had sold them. In answer to a question from the Com-
missioner, the insolvent said there must be some mistake in
it. The Commissioner said that when an insolvent came
before him with debts of only £5O, it would require a strong
case to convince him that he ought not to be discharged ; but
there were exceptions to this rule.—The Insolvent : " Well,
I cannot read, and if they have put it down wrong, I cannot
say." Beesley was then called and examined ; at the end
of which Mr. JAMES applied to the court for the petition to
be dismissed on the ground of collusion. The Commissioner,
in granting the application, addressed the insolvent thus
1 have no doubt you will get out of prison without my as.
sistance ; but if ever you should come here again, do not re-
peat this special balance sheet, because I do not think there
is a word of truth in it. The present petition is dismissed."
Petition dismissed.

John Wheatley, unopposed, applied for the benefit of the
act. His debts appeared to be only £33.—The Commis-
sioner : Could you not contrive to pay £33 without coming
here ?—lnsolvent : No; I could not, because I was out of
work.—Commissioner : I am sorry for it.—Discharged.
111`Viccar applied for his discharge, supported by Mr.
VENABLES, and opposed by Mr. TuAFFoitn. It appeared
that the insolvent was the landlord of the Royal Oak Inn,
where he became involved. The ground of the opposition to
him was, that he had received £2O from a Mr. Munro two
days before his arrest, for the good will, &c., of the tap, well
knowing at the same time that he was in insolvent circum-
stances ; and also that he had obtained a quantity of corks
from Mr. Barwise, a manufacturer, under the false pretence
of selling them again by commission. In his examination,
the insolvent stated that the sale of the corks to him was ab-
solute and not on commission. On the other hand both Mr.
and Mrs. Barwise proved that the corks were furnished to
him to sell on commission, at the rate of 10 per cent., the
money to be paid in two or three days afterwards; but, in-
stead of selling them for money, he sold them for a quantity
of spirits, so that Mr. Barwise never received a farthing. The
evidence being closed,
Mr. TRAFFORD said he had to apply to the learned com-
missioner to remand the insolvent on two grounds. The
first was that he had received the £2O from Mr. Munro, for
the tap, at a time when lie was in a state of insolvency; in-
deed he received the money on the Saturday night, and on
the following Monday morning bailiffs were in the house, lie
must, therefore, have known that it was utterly impossible
for him to carry on business ; consequently, in receiving that
£2O, he had acted fraudulently. The other ground of the
application was, that the insolvent had obtained the corks
from Mr. Barwise under the false pretence of selling them
upon commission. He had chosen to say that the sale was
absolute ; but both Mr. and Mrs. Barwise had contradicted
him. Under these circumstances he called upon the com-
missioner to remand the insolvent for such period as he
might think the justice of the case required.
Mr. VENABLES replied, that with regard to Munro's
claim, it was no debt, therefore it was not within the act of
parliament; and, on that ground, the application for a re-
mand could not be sustained. As to Mr. Barwise and the
corks, if there bad been any fraud, Mr. Barwise had himself
cured it by a condonation in rendering to the insolvent a bill
of the goods.
The COMMISSIONER. directed the insolvent's schedule to
be amended, by inserting the £2O obtained from Mr. Munro
as a debt. This being done, the commissioner, after de-
tailing the circumstances and commenting upon them, directed
the insolvent to be remanded for four calendar months from
the date of the vesting order.
The court adjourned at five o'clock till ten o'clock this
morning.

The list contained the names of three insolvent debtors
whose cases were adjourned from the last circuit, and thirty-
two original cases—total, thirty-five. The following are the
results up to the rising of the court last night :

ADJOURNED CASES

Discharged.—Matthew King, William Langley
Discharged conditionally.—George Entwisle.
ORIGINAL CASES.

Discharged. Ellzi-s-PO;;;,-7ohr Carpenter, Henry
Adolphus Schlesinger, John Harrison, Thomas Pritchard,
James Hamill, James M'Coy, Charles Orton, James Smith,
George Kenrick, Charles Lunt, Ellen Farraday, William
Holliday Cornforth, Frederick Vessey, Peter O'Neill, John
Williams (schedule to be amended), John M'Gregor (on
giving up possession of a house to Mr. Rogers, the landlord),
John Wheatley, Walter Philip Gunnyon, Frederick Smith,
Pete► Kennedy (after having been in custody five months
from the date of the vesting order), Neil M`Vicar (after
having been in custody four months from the date of the
vesting order.
Petition Dismissed.—Charles Broom.

Adjourned.—Patrick Daley.
Dead.—John Jones, William Gordon Bulkeley

THE FUNDS, SATURDAY EVENING.--ThE Consol-market
has exhibited heavy symptoms to-day, owing to some sales
made on speculative account, which have influenced prices
to the extent of one-eighth per cent. in addition to the de-
cline of yesterday. The last quotation for money was 961 to
1, and for the account 961; New Three-and-a-Half per
Cents. left off 102/ to ; Exchequer-bills, 68s. to 70s. pm. ;
and India Bonds, 795. pm. ; Bank Stock was also a shade
lower, closing 184 to 185. Foreign securities sympathized
with the dull state of business in the English funds, and
beyond that there was the rumour of the likelihood of the
Barcelona affair not being altogether settled to the satisfac-
tion of the French Government. The speculators in Spanish
have taken alarm at this, and have realized in several
instances the larger portion of their accounts, thereby clearing
themselves with profit. Spanish Actives were last quoted
231 to 1 ; ditto Three per Cents.. 32 to 1- ; Portuguese 401 to
1; Colombian, 261 to 1; Danish, 87 to 86; Belgian, 104/ to
1053; Brazilian, 80 to 81 ; Dutch Two-and-a-Half per
Cents., 56/ to 4; and Mexican, 30/ to 1. It will be ob-
served that all the speculative securities are rather worse
than they closed last evening.

THE POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY

ON THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS OF LIVERPOOL
(Continuation of Dlr. Samuel Holme's Lecture.)

The next great improvement was the widening of Lord-
street. And here a serious mistake was made. The act of
parliament gave power to widen, but our local governors failed
to embellish. The north side remains, with a few exceptions,
as it was originally built, and there are 50 different elevations,
with hardly one building deserving the character of handsome.
nd on the south side, which was entirely re-built, how
meagre is the architecture ! Here was a noble line of 1,000 feet,
which might have been rendered ornamental ; but instead of
a noble range of edifices, with projections of a bold and nervous
description—instead of columns, carrying entablatures which
would have given pleasure to the eye to repose upon, instead
'of the light and graceful attic, in all the harmony and elegance
of just proportion—we have a flimsy and meagre range of
edifices, with scanty pilasters, with .miserable entablatures,
with not a single parapet to cover the hideous roofs, and many
of the buildings have been so slightly constructed, that they
are even now dependent on their neighbours for mutual sup-
port.

- Let us now look at Dale-street, and what do we discover ?
Width has undoubtedly been obtained, and so far, it has
proved a public convenience. But lam anxious:to establish
the fact, that you may administer to public convenience, and
yet, you may do nothing to establish public taste, or elevate
our character for the desire of public beauty. With a few
exceptions, some of those faulty in many essential points, the
so-termed improvement in Dale-street has not caused the
erection of a single edifice that can claim any merit as an
architectural production, and without specifying particular
objects which might be considered invidious : I must remark,
that in many of the thoroughfares which have been widened,
elevations have been permitted that would not be creditable
to the back settlements of America. Surely it is the duty of
our local governors to take care that something more than
width is obtained, when more than £lOO,OOO has been ex-
pended for the improvement of a single thoroughfare. As to
Tythebarn-street, I trust not myself to make a single remark
on this abortion. Those who directed the improvement of
this great thoroughfare, must have been studying the analysis
of beauty, and have come to the determination, that the
greater the diversity the greater the grace, and that the more
frequent the departure from straight lines, and sweeping
curves, the more striking would be the effect, and the more
overpowering the elegance.

I turn with greater pleasure to Fenwick-street. Here
we have something of better character—here we have several
specimens worthy of the name of architecture : and whe❑ the
whole of this street is completed, although it will not present
a very imposing appearance, yet there will be little to offend,
and much to praise.

South Castle-street is much on a par with Lord-street ; it
is a piece of patchwork ; and, if variety be charming, then
mustes te n aevreareyscum tc.letlMti7!.,lv4h,
desirous tut I am not of
criticising individual erections. The great point which we
must be anxious to see remedied is the general improvement
of the town • and, although you need not be told that it is the
aggregate dindividual erections that forms the general im-
provement—just as the multitudes of atoms forms the moun-
tain, or the aggregate of drops produces the ocean--yet I for-
bear particularizing, lest I should injure the professional
reputation of many whom I much respect, and who have, in
too malty instances, been chained down by that inordinate
love for cheapness to which I have already adverted. I ask
you then to cast your eyes on Bennison's or Gage'a map of
Liverpool, and look at the acute and obtuse angles which are
formed by the eccentric divergernents of our streets. There
are scarcely two leading throughfares running parallel with
each other; street grows out of street in the most extraordi-
nary manner, without any apparent design ;—and it has been
observed with as much facetiousness as truth, that Liverpool
was originally laid out by the cows, who formed a track in
their way to:their pasturage, which track became a footpath,
which grew into a lane, and which was magnified into a street.
This original defect in laying out our thoroughfares is the
reason why so many of our public edifices are in such awk-
ward positions. The Town-ball, I have already observed, is
not in the centre of Castle-street. St. George's Church
stands awry both with Castle-street and Lord-street. The
beautiful Chapel of St. James's Cemetery is askew with both
of its leading approaches. St. Luke's is similarly situated ;
and I might multiply examples if they were not familiar to us
all. But in making these remarks, to which I have been re-
luctantly forced, that I might do justice to my subject, it is
right that I should be impartial, and congratulate you on the
progress of the last few years. When we recollect that SO
years ago that part of the town within a line drawn from
Queen-street down Oldhall-street, along Castle-street,
South Castle-street and the north side of Canning-place, then
the Old Dock, was the most densely populated part of Li-
verpool ;—that our merchants sought the suburban districts
of Hanover-street and Wolstenholme-square, the east side
of which commanded a lovely view of smiling fields, now co-
vered by Bold-street, and a charming hill, blooming with
beauty, vegetation, and foliage, now better known as
Rodney-street and Clarence-street—or when they sought the
more rural districts of Duke-street or St. Paul's-square, to
escape from the noise and bustle of the town ;—and when we
look at the position of these once favoured spots—the man-
sions of the merchants converted into offices, their gardens
covered with manufactories or with residences, the ancient
houses of our shopkeepers and traders almost all destroyed,
and piles of offices, suites of warehouses and all the conveniences
of modern commerce erected on their sites, when the eight
acres of dock space has grown into 100, and the population
has increased from a mere handful to about 250,000. When
we recollect the many stately piles that have sprung up, for
purposes of religious worship, the asylums called into exist-
ence by the emotions of benevolence, the edifices reared by
the successful pursuits of honourable exertion, and for our
extended commerce, these and a hundred other recollections
are pleasing, and with these recollections we must desite to
see blended, those delineations of beauty, which are or ought
to be in harmony with such unprecedented growth. I attri-
bute much of the increase of our local taste during the last
few years to the sure, but silent, operation of our Athenaeum,
and of the Royal Institution, in which we are now assembled,
to the annual exhibition of the works of our living artists—
to the various scientific institutions which have been estab-
lished—to the spread of knowledge—the improvements in
mechanical science, and much of it, I believe, has grown out
of the elegant and accomplished mind of Mr. Roscoe, and
was extended by his beautiful address at the opening of the
Royal Institution ; and as example is a great teacher, our
architectural taste began to be improved when the beautiful
Grecian portico which adorns this building was erected, for
it was speedily followed by many others of kindred charac-
ter, and an impetus was given to our public taste, which has
been extending slowly, but surely; and whether since the
peace our intercourse with the continent has improved our
national morals, I do not now stop to inquire ; but certain I
am, that it has corrected and improved our national taste in
architecture, painting, arid sculpture.
The shops of this town, though often disfigured by whim-
sicalities, which are mistaken for beauties, are yet prodigi-
ously improved of late years.
Let any one compare the shop fronts of Castle-street, or
of Lord-street, with the more modern fronts of Bold-street,
and a few other places, and the improvement will be percep-
tible. The decrease in the price of plate glass has been an
important circumstance to our designs for shops, and 1 hope
that in this department of our domestic or shop architecture
an increased purity of taste and boldness of design will be-
come every day more perceptible. lam aware that by a de-
cision of our Highway Board, which I am not about to im-
pugn, and which prevents a projection of pilaster and cornice
beyond a specified distance from the vertical line of a front,
many architects are prevented from launching a bold design ;
yet, within the specified line, if there be not space for archi-
tectural boldness, there is at least space for the exercise of
good taste.
Our dwelling-houses would open a wide field for observa-
tion ; but as they scarcely come under the head of public im-
provements, I must refrain from any observations on build-
ings of a private character.
Our churches, however, may require a few words.
Our ancestors had a laudable pride in making their places of
worship worthy of the name. They considered that temples
erected to the great Father of all should be of a character su-
perior to other edifices, and while they were content to dwell
in houses of an inferior character and description to the man-
sions of more modern days, they never erected a building to
the honour of God, without making it, as far as they were
able, worthy of the high service to which it was dedicated.
The vaulted chancel, the lofty nave, the pointed windows,
softened and beautified with stained glass, the stately tower,
or the lofty spire, on which were lavished the skill of the ar.
chitect, these are all characteristic of our ancient churches;
but in how few instances does this noble and disinterested
spirit animate us in the present day.
Nothwithstanding the extension of our commerce and ma-
nufactures, and the great increase of our national wealth, our
churches have suffered a material deterioration, which must
be evident to all. Instead of raising edifices such as our
forefathers did, the grand object of the present day seems to
be, how an ornamental barn can be erected, ornamental in
the worst possible manner, where persons can be pewed to-
gether for £3 a sitting. The ecclesiastical character of our
phurches has not been sufficiently attended to ; and examples
are not wanting in this town and neighbourhood of buildings
being erected for churches of which our forefathers would
have been ashamed. The truth is, that cheapness has been
the grand desideratum, and so long as this is the case, we can
only deplore the circumstance. In too many instances where
the ecclesiastical character has been in some measure attended
to, many of the buildings are so barbarous in their external
appearance, and are constructed in such a flimsy manner,
that many of the churches built in the 14th, 15th, and 16th
centuries, which are now grey with age, will be in existence
and will be stable erections long after some of our modern
churches have fallen into decay. And here I cannot avoid
remarking that a singular approximation is fast taking place
throughout the kingdom between the modern buildings
erected by the dissenters and those erected by churchmen for
the purposes of divine worship. Our dissenting countrymen
are increasing the splendour of their chapels, and instead of
the plain brick buildings which they formerly erected, are
calling in the graces of architecture and sculpture, and bor-
rowing, in many instances, the ecclesiastical character so
long employed by churchmen only. Not to travel out of our
town, the new chapels at the Crescent, in Pembroke-place,
and in Great George-street, are illustrations of the former,
and several minor edifices, together with those erecting in
Hope-street and Canning-street, are proofs of the latter.
I do not say that churchmen are called on to erect edifices
such as the splendid cathedrals which adorn our land ; but I
do aver, that our churches should present a better and more
striking appearance than many of them do, and that the
scanty and thrifty spirit, which is unfortunately too prevalent
in the present day, ought to give way to a more expansive
benevolence, and that our sacred edifices should not be made
the architectural sacrifice offered on the altar of niggardli-
ness.

The abandonment of stone in too many instances has caused
a deterioration both in our public and private edifices.
Whatever belongs to a building is capable of receiving the
impression of design, and may be made to co.operate in the
cultivated or refined expression of that building as a whole.
aßumtewtehreienl,
which, both
sake
in
of economy, we are driven to abandon
appearance,
con-
nected with solidity and durability, and in reality, is
,a and
d by is
which the inevitable nev
the ita
gbelneerr e
general
and are obliged to con-
struct all our mouldings adendpgtrnoojietcstisounescemsseorresly. of plaster,
bearing the name of Roman cement, without any of its qua-
lities, which becomes, in a short time, a piece of painted or
swul fi it t, e wanda s h et dh
that
patchwork,
character for durability is destroyed which
an incongruity
toughtaste 0 ever v
oneer to e accompanyge is transmitted
Much of the evil which I have often lamented, will, I
doubt not, be removed by the better education of the middle
classes—by the increased attention which is paid to pictorial
to
compoio
sitwhnic—h our
design, but as seminaries to inculcate a
purer taste, by directing the attention of the middle ranks in
elementary
pebl
public
schoolsdrawing i s and to the higher cul-
tivationTikely to engender, not
only as schools of
a great degree to classical studies, and to acquaintance with
the models of antiquity ; and wherever this has been the case,
as in Edinburgh, for example, the effect is seen in public im-
provements, because society is a crowd in motion, and it is
in the nature of things that those who, by intellectual
achievements force themselves forwards beyond the common
pace must attract attention, and those who feel the jostle
must either mend their own pace or be left behind.
Few persons can have an idea of the wonderful and mag-
nificent improvements
made.. during the last ten years at
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and all has been effected through the
instrumentality of one original and expansive mind. From
having been an ill-built and most inconvenient town, with
narrow, dingy streets, it seems as if, by the wand of an en-
chanter, one of the ancient cities of Greece had been again
called into existence, and suddenly transplanted into Nor-
thumberland. Wide and spacious thoroughfares, handsome
squares and crescents, public edifices of great convenience
and beauty, streets of beautiful dwellings in all the harmony
of regular design, and arranged with architectural skill, con-

strutted with white free stone, and presenting to the visitor
a noble and striking appearance ; these are all the creation
Of one man; and the inhabitants of Newcastle will be un-
grateful if they do not perpetuate the name of Grainger by
some testimonial worthy of his character and his talents.
We of Liverpool may learn much by a visit to that town ;
and 1 hope that our future improvements may not be put to
the blush by the achievements of a town of minor impor-
tance.

Liverpool possesses one commanding site, which, if judi-
ciously laid out, will be of great importance. A good be-
ginning is made, and I hope it will be continued. I allude
to the vacant land in Lime-street, on which the new assize
courts are being erected. It is the very centre of the town,
and ought to be the place 'around which should be clustered
our handsomest edifices, and within the area of which our
public monuments ought to be placed.
The corporation has most judiciously selected this site for
our new assize courts, and it will be approached from Ranelagh
Place by a street of twenty yards broad. Uniformity of
elevation will be characteristic of the new edifices to be
erected on the west side, which is to be thrown back, but
with a slight alteration on the east side. to ease the obtuse
angle at the bottom of Skelhorn-street. I regret to add, that
although the act of parliament gives power to alter the eleva-
tions on that side, we are told by the Finance Committee the
funds are wanting; and the improvement will, so far, be
incomplete, one side presenting a handsome appearance, the
other rendered more hideous by the contrast. Without any
intention of introducing a subject which may have the
slightest tendency to bear a political complexion, I must
remark, that the corporation are much crippled by the re-
striction imposed by the Municipal Reform Bill, which only
gives power to the council to employ the surplus revenue of
the estate for the public benefit of the inhabitants; and the
charge for our police and other matters connected with the
government of the town is so heavy, that I fear the surplus
revenue will be exceedingly small. Added to these, it being
compulsory on them to build a new gaol, the greatest economy
will be necessary to prevent the imposition of a borough rate.
But this need not hinder a well-digested plan for the improve-
ment of the locality in question, to be carried out by degrees,
as the funds of the corporation may admit of. I think the
time has arrived when the whole of the business connected
with the administration of justice ought to be removed from
the imtnedh.te neighbourhood of our Exchange. That
neighbourhood is required for commercial purposes • and
I trust that the Bridewell, the Sessions-house, and the Po-
lice-office will speedily be sold, all occupying the most
valuable land in the town • and that these may be con-
centrated in a more suitable spot, and on land of much
less value. It is high time that the disgraceful practice
of haling all the vagabonds of the town across the area
of our Exchange, and through such crowded streets as
Castle-street, Lord-street, and Dale-street, should cease
for ever • and that the most valuable situation in Liverpool
should be occupied as a bridewell, more particularly when
the sits"—ss ;neopvenient from the great spread of the
town in a contrary direction. The plan I should propose is
this. Let the Islington Market be destroyed ; because, from
its proximity to St. Jsbn's Market it is useless; and, when
the market in Gill-streek is ready, it will not be necessary.
On this spot I would eree,the daily courts, the magistrates
rooms, and offices, together with the station for our police,
and the various other accornmoation necessary for the ad-
ministratior of justice and of loca government. This edifice
ought to be in perfect keeping with,ur assize courts, and its
architectural character made to assn.ilate. It would then
form the north end of a splendid quadrs,ele, and with the
assize courts on one side, and the grand fSc-de of the railway
on the other. we should have a most magnific,.t nlace in the
centre of the town, which every stranger enter,, m
from the
railroad might look upon with admiration. The v, v from
Lime-street would be imposing, having the beautiful coon_
nade of the assize courts seen in perspective, its southe,
portico entirely visible from Ranelagh-place, and, from the
position of the two buildings, they would come gradually into
view, until the whole would burst upon the sight in all their
symmetry and beauty. Who has not admired the view in
High-street, Oxford, where every step reveals new beauties ;
or the cluster of splendid edifices visible from Carlisle Bridge
in Dublin ? Why should we be behind any other town, when
we have an excellent site, and means for carrying out the ne-
cessary designs ? I would place the bridewell on the elevated
site occupied by the windmills and paltry houses in Mill-
lane, enclosing the building within walls, having a suitable
entrance, and affording yards for airing; for, let it be recol-
lected that prisoners confined in bridewell are taken there
before trial, and many instances have occurred of innocent
persons, and even of respectable females, having been confined
in bridewell on mere snspicion, against whom there has been
no charge of criminality proved. From a bridewell so placed
there may be a tunnel communicating both with the daily
courts and the assize courts ; and the foundation being of
rock, the situation will be dry and airy, having great facilities
for drainage ; and one great advantage will be, that prisoners
will never be seen in their passage to the assize court or the
daily court. In addition to which their safe custody will be
provided for. The present bridewell reminds me of Dicken's
description of the Prison of the Tombs, in America, and it is
totally unfitted for its present purpose.
Much was said, a short time ago, about providing public
parks for the working classes and their families ; but I am
convinced that a park at a distance from their habitations
would prove inoperative. The working man, after a hard
day's toil, will not walk a mile or two from his habitation ;
but give him a place of recreation near his home, and he will
avail himself of it. If then, the miserable buildings between
St. John's Churchyard and Shaw's-brow were removed, in-
cluding those between the Churchyard and the Old Haymar-
ket, and the intervening space was laid out as a walk ; and
if, in addition, a bridge was thrown across the bottom of
Byrom-street, so as to do away with Shaw's-brow altogether,
We should have a noble entrance, almost level, directly
through the heart of the town ; we should have the splendid
edifices to ut,ich I have alluded visible on all sides, from
distances favourtna. for viewing them, and a place of recrea-
tion would be provides where 20,000 persons could enjoy
themselves, surrounded by the graces of architecture, and
close to their own homes. Tn.— would be a project worthy
of the munificence of Liverpool, aria a standing monument
of our local taste.

It will be admitted by all that sewerage is vital import-
ance to a large town. There must be the great I.,,,aing art,
rles through the principal thoroughfares, and the various
smaller veins, extending in every direction, capable of carry-
ing off all impurities into the cloaca maxima of the
river. And if so, how important it is that attention be paid
to ventilation. It'is part of great improvements to provide
spacious streets and promenades, and it is well known that
diseases are more difficult to eradicate from crowded neigh-
bourhoods and narrow streets than from situations, where
there is free scope for the air. Well have the parks and
squares of the metropolis been designated the lungs of Lon-
don. Liverpool, possessing an open front to the river, might
be one of the best ventilated towns in the world if we had
spacious streets running eastward from the river, and being
continued onward with the extension of the town. The wid-
ening of Lord-street and James's-street was, in this respect,
a great improvement, and when Hanover-street is widened,
great benefit will result from it. I have ever been of opinion
that the continuation of Cook-street to the bottom of Man-
chester-street was highly desirable in two respects :—First,
to admit a free current of air through one of the closest and
most filthy portions of the town; and, secondly, to throw
open, in a central position, a most convenient and advanta-
geous position for trade. A 20 yard street, carried in this
direction, would dislodge the occupants of Preston-street and
other streets, which are constantly filled with fever ; and the
frontage being in a direct line from the top of Brunswick-
street, would be most valuable for shops and places of busi-
ness, which would tend to concentrate trade in the very heart
of the town, and would give a direct passage to the Railway
Station. The intervening property between this new street
and Dale-street on the one side, and Whitechapel on the
other, would be materially increased ; much would be gained
by the thousands who every day walk round this neighbour-
hood instead of walking through it, and a great air vent would
be created in one of the worst ventilated parts of the town.
If another street was opened from Strand-street, and Ather-
ton-street was widened, so as to form another great leading
artery, connected with College-lane and Seel-street, the be-
nefit would he felt, not only in creating a locality for trade,
which is now occupied by dwellings of a miserable descrip-
tion, but in promoting the salubrity of the low, swampy
neighbourhood through which it would pass. It is high time
that such places as Litherland-alley and Crooked-lane were
abolished, and I believe it was at one time seriously contem-
plated to continue Fenwick-street through to the Old Dock,
on what is now termed Benn's-gardens ; and if that im-
provement bad been carried out, and our Custom-house had
occupied the intervening space between that intended street
and Strand-street on the one side, and between Redcross-
street and the Old Dock on the other, the edifice would have
stood on an elevated and commanding site, and the improve-
ment would have been complete. When I remember that
the foundations alone of the New Custom-house cost
£70,000, and that we lost a dock worth at least £lOO,OOO, it
clear that there would have been greater economy in placing
the edifice in the position to which I have alluded ; that it
would have been more advantageous to the public; and a
much greater ornament to the town. It would be useless for
me to point out other portions of our public streets which are
capable of great improvement, because at present I can only
treat of the matter in general terms, and because there are
no corporate funds to carry them out if adopted ; but all who
have to deal with the public improvement of the town, may
comprise them in few words—Width of streets—beauty of
elevation—harmony of parts—ventilation and drainage.

We should have given the remainder of Mr. Holine's ad-
dress, but it is of great length ; and we understand that, at
the desire of many gentlemen, it is likely to be published in
the form of a pamphlet.

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than
to have words without a heart.
THE STRIDE OF A RACE-HORSE.—The average stride, at
full speed, is twenty-one feet. But there are many excep-
tions to the rule. Flying Childers was the swiftest horse, it
is generally admitted, that ever ran a course. That opinion
is somewhat questionable. Nevertheless, the ground co-
vered by Flying Childers at the utmost stretch of his stride
was five and twenty feet. The stride of Filho da Puta, when
he won the St. Leger in 1815, was twenty-four feet three
inches and a half. The stride of Blacklock—the next stride
after he had passed the post when he was defeated by Ebor,
unseen by Jackson, was twenty-four feet eight inches. The
stride of Harkaway—the finest horse of modern days—at the
top of his speed, with his neck level with his back, his head
on one side, and whisking his tail—with Bst. 81b. on the sad-
dle, was twenty-five feet exactly.
A JOURNEY FROM INVERNESS IN 1740.—1 came off on
Wednesday, the 50th of July, from my own house, dined at
your sister's, and did not halt at Invei 'less, but came all
night to Corribrough, with Evan Bailie and Duncan Fraser,
and my chariot did very well. I brought my wheelwright
with me the length of Avimore, in case of accidents, and
there parted with him, because he declared that 'my chariot
would go safe enough to London ; but I was not eight miles
from the place when, on the plain road, the axietree of the
hind-wheel broke in two, so that my girls were forced to go
on bare horses behind footmen, and I was obliged to ride
myself, though I was very tender, and the day very cold. I

came with that equipage to Ruthven late at night, and my
chariot was pulled there by force of men, when I got an
English wheelwright and a smith, who wrought two days
mending my chariot ; and, after paying very dear for their
work, and for my quarters two nights, I was not gone out
four miles from Ruthven when it broke again, so that I was
in a miserable condition till I came to Balnakeardach, where
my honest landlord, Charles M'Glassian, told me that the
Duke of Athole had two as good workmen at Blair* as were
in the kingdom, and that I would get my cnariot as well
mended there as at London. Accordingly I went there, and
stayed a night, and got my chariot very well mended by a
good wright and good smith. I thought then I was pretty
secure till I came to this place. I was storm-stayed at
Castle Drummond, by the most tempestuous weather of
wind and rain that I ever remember to see. The Duchess
of Perth and Lady Mary Drummond were excessively kind
and civil to my daughters and to me, and sent their chamber-
lain to conduct me to Dumblaine, who happened to be very
useful to us that day, for 1 was not three miles gone from
Castle Drummond when the axletree of my fore wheels
broke in two in the midst of the hill, betwixt Drummond
and the Bridge of Erdlich, and we were forced to sit in the
hill with a boisterous day till Chamberlain Drummond was
so kind as to go down to the strath and bring wrights, and
carts, and smiths, to our assistance, who dragged us to the
l
plain, where we were forced to stay five or six hovrs
there was a new axletree made, so that it was dark night
before we came to Dunblane, which is but eight miles from
Castle Drummond, and we were all much fatigued. The
next day we came to Lithgow, and the day after that we ar-
rived here, so that we were twelve days on our journey by
our misfortunes, which was seven days more than ordinary.
Letter of Lord Loyal, published by the Spalding club.—
Caledonian Mercury.

SHOCK OF AN EARTHQUAKE IN LIVERPOOL

AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

(From our Friday's Second Edition.)

In our last number we mentioned that the shock of an
earthquake had been felt on Friday last, about eight in the
morning, in the neighbourhood of Blackburn, Rochdale, and
the hills which separate Lancashire and Yorkshire. No
damage appears to have been dune by this shock, and the
only thing remarkable about it was that it was the third
experienced, apparently having the same range, within a
few years past. The first took place on the 20th of August,
1835, and the second on the 11th June, 1839.
We have now to mention that on Friday morning,
about one o'clock, or a few minutes before, a similar shock
to that described above was felt in this town, or rather two
shocks following in very rapid succession—so rapid, indeed,
that to many they appeared to be simultaneous. We can,

however, testify that there were two distinct shocks, between
which there was an interval of from ten to fifteen seconds.
Many people, who had retired to rest, slept so soundly as
not to have perceived the convulsion of the earth; but the
greater number of those whom we have had an opportunity

of seeing, felt it so strongly as to create in them consi-
derable alarm and apprehension. We have heard the
descriptions given by individuals who reside in dif-
ferent parts, but the most connected and intelligent we
have been able to obtain have been furnished to us by the
Town-clerk, Mr. Radcliffe, who resides in West Derby, and
by Mr. Whitty, the head constable, whose house adjoins
the central police station between George's and Canning
docks.

The Town-Clerk stated to us that he had been writing in
his room till half-past twelve o'clock, when he retired. He
had been at rest a few minutes, when he was startled by the
bed shaking, and the furniture being agitated with conside-
rable violence. This lasted for a period of six seconds, or
somewhat longer; and it was followed by an apparent rum-
bling from beneath, and an indistinct noise in the dressing-
room adjoining. some alarm was of course excited by these
unusual circumstances; and Mr. Richard Radcliffe having
experienced exactly the same sensations, the conclusion was
at once arrived at that it was the shock of an earthquake.
The noise which followed the shock, for none was observed
to precede it, appeared to the Town-Clerk and his son to
proceed from north to south ; but there was neither time
nor opportunity for marking the direction with accuracy, and
is; is probable there may be a mistake in this respect, as it
does not correspond with the accounts from other parts.
No damage, that we have heard of, has been done at West
Derby.

The narrative of Mr. Whitty is more in detail, and from
his situation at the tiwo vionatity be found on a
comparison of all the accounts, to be the most gene-
rally accurate. He was in the parlour of his house, on duty,
in fact, taking a cup of coffee, when, exactly at five minutes
to one o'clock by
the police time, ha cucicieuly beard and
felt a violent agitation of the windows of the whole house
and of the floor in the room in which he was sitting. Being
accustomed to hear loud explosions from the works in Albert
dock now being excavated, which is at no great distance,
he was not much surprised at the noise ; bnt at the same time
be observed to Mrs. Whitty that he thought the excavators
had purposely caused the explosion to take place underneath
his windows. In less than a minute afterwards another
shock followed, infinitely more violent than the first; the
house shook from top to bottom ; and a violent rumbling
noise was beard under the house just as if a dozen rail-
way trains had been running through a tunnel underneath
The shock and the noise were so loud and violent as to
awaken all the family who had retired, and as if by consent,
they assembled on the stairs in a state of great alarm.
Having quietened them, Mr. Whitty went into the street,
and the policeman on duty at George's Dock bridge told him
that he was leaning against one of the pillars there, when
-iddenly he thought he heard a carriage run rapidly across
ti?L'iridge, and the ground rumbling and shaking all around
him. This officer perceived two shocks. The policeman on
duty at t.„ north end of Canning Dock was next questioned
by Mr. Wnfrty,
and he stated that he first observed some
casks, which ‘..re lying
on the quay, move as if they were
alive ; they tur9ded and shook, he added, as if some men
were concealed in in—a very professional idea fora police-
officer. After this, t. 4 house was examined, and it was
found that the windows
nn the second floor [French] had
been forced open by the s`,ck, and some furniture had re-
ceived a trifling displacement, but no damage was done, and
the alarm soon subsided. Mr. "vhitty added that the shock
appeared to him to proceed fro'. east to west, and that
nothing could be more distinctly
shock lasted from three to five seconds, and The first
second from
seven to ten seconds : and at first it appeared as the tower
of a church, at some distance, had fallen down at ono „rash.
Not the least remarkable circumstance was the agitatio. of
the horses in the stables throughout the town, particular',
in the South division. No damage has been done, we believe,
to the buildings in any part of the town.

In Deane-street. Kensington, and the district adjoining
the Botanic Gardens, two shocks were distinctly felt.
In Kirkdale, and especially at the House of Correction,
the shock was very distinctly felt. Mr. Amos, the governor,
was up at the time • and he states that at ten minutes before
one, the porter's lodge, and several parts of the gaol, shook
and trembled greatly. The difference in point of time of the
shock being felt here and at other places, is probably owing
to the variation of the clocks. The house of Mr. Appleton,
which adjoins the Court-house, felt the trembling of the
earth in a still greater degree.
The shock was distinctly felt at the Slandard-office. The
sensation was similar to that experienced by the houses on
the line of the Railway Tunnel, when that work was in pro-
gress, during the blastings of the rock. Our men were

" locking up the forms" -at the time, nd the noise was
ascribed to them. A gentleman in Mount-pleasant describes
the effect there as if his house trembled, and the beds in
every chamber were shaken. He affirms that the candle-
stick, which he feels confident he placed at the end of the
table, appeared in the morning to be considerably moved.
The shock was felt with considerable severity on the
Cheshire shore, opposite to the north part of the town, and
extended, (more particularly (as far as we can yet hear) over
the surface in the Wirral Peninsula, on its east side, con-
tanicd bctween Wallasey Pool and New Brighton. This
includes Seacombe, Egremont, Liscard, the Magazines,
Wallasey, &c. In Liscard and Egiemont it was distinctly
felt by many persons, nearly or precisely at the same time,—
namely, ten minutes to a quarter before one o'clock.
Mr. Mathie, a gentleman in the employ of Messrs. Gibbs,
Bright and Co., and who had before witnessed several earth-
quakes abroad, was awakened by the shock at a quarter to
one o'clock by his watch. He heard the internal rumbling
noise that generally accompanies such phenomena, and sen-
sibly felt his bed-room shake. The crockery ware on the
wash-hand stand made a considerable rattling. The house
was not, however, shaken so as to crack the walls. There
could, he says, be no doubt but it was an earthquake. He
got up and dressed. Several persons in the neighbourhood
also rose from their beds in alarm—the greater part not
knowing what to make of it. The windows and doors of
many of the houses shook and rattled. A young lady in one
house was so alarmed that she ran from her own bed into
that of her sister-in-law.

Mr. Giball, in the Customs, says he was asleep at the time,
but his wife, who was awake, sensibly felt it, and awoke him.
She went to the window, and their first impression was that
some accident from explosion had taken place at the Maga-
zine. More than a dozen respectable gentlemen in the
neighbourhood felt the shock in a nearly similar manner.
In Mulbery-street the shock appeared to have been felt
severely. It is in the highest part of the town. It was also
felt distinctly in Abercrombie-square in the same neighbour-
hood.

At the police-station in Bi ick-street (south part of the
town), the resident keeper, David Wilson, who was above in
bed became so alarmed that be ran down stairs,- where it had
also been felt by Samuel Tuck, of the police, who thought
the building was shaken by the cart that sometimes comes to
the station.

In the Custom-house, decidedly the heaviest building in the
town, the keeper of the house, Mr. Bronwin, who domiciles
at the top, felt it severely and became alarmed, but could
not account for the shock. The watchman stationed in the
building below also felt it simultaneously, and states that it
made the windows and the doors shake and rattle in a violent
manner.

We have the names of many highly respectable gentlemen
residing in various parts of the town, as well as in Liscard,
Egremont, &c. ; but we do not deem it necessary to furnish
them. From their concurrent testimony, no doubt can
exist but that a commotion of the earth took place in
this locality about the time stated. Happily it was not
so severe as to injure buildings or endanger lives; yet,
taken in connexion with the recent slight shocks felt in
this county last week to the north east of Manchester, as
well as with the fearful and destructive earthquakes in some
of the West India islands. It has certainly created great
interest in some, and apprehensions, never we hope to be
realized, in others. Earthquakes of fatal effect, in this island,
are not, we believe, to be found on record.

The following is the account handed to us by Captain
Caldheck, of the City of Dublin Steam Company, residing
in Oliver-street, Woodside:—

" Happening to be sitting below stairs reading upon the
morning of the 17th instant, I had an ample opportunity of
experiencing the shock of the earthquake in its fullest inten-
sity. At precisely seven minutes to one, civil time, the room
seemed to stir with a laterel motion similar to that of a ship
careering gently to a slight flaw of wind ; this was succeeded
by three heavy vertical shocks, accompanied by a smothered
rumbling sound, resembling the distant boom of heavy can-
non. The duration of the phenomenon was about three se-
conds. The morning, being singularly still and calm, caused
so unlooked for an interruption to wear an appearance at
once solemn and alarming.
" I am circumstantial in giving the correct time in conse-
quence of my knowledge from former experiences of these
visitations in Peru and Chili, that the shocks I felt were
those of an earthquake, and consequently the most exact data
which could be affordedl would be interesting. It is not very
improbable but we may be visited with more of these subter-
raneous movements, the same elements and agencies being
as busily at work beneath the surfaces of our islands as in
other countries ; but from various causes, the combustion
being slower, we are only now beginning to participate in
evils which have devastated such portions of the globe. I beg
to say, that of the many Temblora I experienced in South
America this fully equalled the most violent of them. I have
often witnessed the inhabitants of Valparaiso and Lima run-
ning about the streets in the greatest terror, being alarmed
by shocks almost imperceptible. The only thing I felt ap-
proaching to our Cheshire earthquake was in the Pacific
Ocean; the peak of Chimborazo, the highest of the Cordil-
leras, being then only barely visible, the sea was quite smooth,
and the vessel going very smoothly through the water, when
at 6 p.m., she received three violent shocks, the vibrations,
noise, &c. being precisely similar to those of Friday morning
last."