The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-30 00:00:00

PETITION FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE.
NAVIGATION LAWS.

We were not a little surprised yesterday afternoon on
learning that a document to the above purport was lying
for signature at our Exchange News-room. After the
opinion of the town had been so unequivocally recorded
against any such measure, at the meeting in the Sessions
House on Friday, we might have expected that the good
sense of the promoters of repeal would have prevented
such a display of their weakness and obstinacy. We
found our information, however, strictly correct. The
placard, also lying on the desk, was to the following
effect

" A Petition for Repealing the Navigation Laws, and
removing at the same time all restrictions on the
construction and employment of British Shipping,
lies here for signature."
This is doubtless an endeavour to give effect to the un-
successful amendment proposed by Mr. Wylie at the
meeting last week ; and however little we may be inclined
to attach importance to this proceeding, we still conceive
it necessary that the shipping interest of this town should
not suffer any thing which may appear, however meagrely
supported, in a substantive form, to pass without a prompt
contradiction. We therefore earnestly call upon our
fellow-townsmen to lose no time in getting up a counter-
petition, when they will shortly be able to demonstrate
that the supporters of the Navigation Laws are in an
overwhelming majority in the borough of Liverpool.
At four o'clock yesterday afternoon only 24 names had
been appended, consisting of those parties who had spoken
at the meeting in favour of repeal, in addition to whom
we noticed, at the head of the list Mr. Eyre Evans,
lower down Mr. William Rathbone, et hoc genus omne,
to the number before stated ; and at five o'clock they had
only raised 11 more.

COMMITMENTS FOR TRIAL AT THE SESSIONS FROM
THE POLICE COURT YESTERDAY.—John Kelly, a boy,
for breaking into the house of Michael Connolly, m Peter
street, on Saturday, and stealing therefrom a quantity of
wearing apparel. Mary Curry, for stealing in Tarleton
street from Jane Wright, 4s. 6d. and an apron. Eliza
Healey, for stealing from Richard Simon a person from
London, in a house in Beau street. a watch and handker-
chief worthi £2 2s.
PRESENT TO THE EXCHANGE NEWS-ROOM. Mr.
Forrester, of the house of Offley, Webber, Forrester, and
Co., of Oporto and this town, has presented to the com-
mittee of our Exchange Buildings a proof copy of his beau-
tiful surveys of the river Douro. This work has been
considered of such importance that it has been adopted by
the Portuguese Government as a national work ; and Mr.
Forrester, who has already had the honour of knighthood
conferred upon him by the Queens of Spain and Portugal,
received from both these Governments the most flattering
testimonials on the presentation of his maps of the Douro.
We understand that this work will not be published for
the present. The donor, Mr. Forrester, has received the
cognomen of " The Reformer of the Wine Trade of Liver-
pool." _ _

ATTACK ON A LANDLORD.—Mrs. Allen, wife of Mr.
Allen, publican, Shaw's-brow, yesterday appeared before
Mr. Rushton, against a man, who had she said, been one
of six or seven Irishmen who bad on Saturday night
forced themselves into the house, and said they "wanted
some Orangemen," apparently to assail them, and that
they must be sent for. Their conduct was so violent that
Mrs. Allen sent for the police, but they all escaped, with
the exception of the prisoner, who, before he was appre-
hended, had struck the landlord so cruelly on the head
that he was unable to come up, as appeared from a sur-
geon's certificate. Upon the prisoner there was found a
long piece of iron, resembling an old-fashioned pot-hook.
Mr. Rushton strongly reprehended the conduct com-
plained of. What had the prisoner and his companions
to do with Orangemen, or to assail them with dangerous
weapons such as that produced ? He ordered him to be
remanded to the gaol, to await further evidence, and en-
deavour to discover the other aggressors.
ROYAL MERSEY YACHT CLUB.—On Saturday last, the
anniversary of her Majesty's birthday, the members of
this club opened their season by the yachts sailing in com-
pany, under the broad pendant of the worthy and respected
commodore, T. Littledale, Esq., whose flag was hoisted
on board of his fine yacht, the Queen of the Ocean-59
tons. The day was remarkably propitious for the occa-
sion—fair and beautiful, with a light gaff topsail breeze,
which remained steady during the whole day. The fleet
counted, in addition to the commodore's craft, the Drift
—53 tons, the Vision-45 tons, the Minona, Hebe,
Jeannette, Ranger, and Gem, the latter vessel belonging
to the hon. secretary, who officiated as the vice-commo-
dore on the occasion. The yachts were manoeuvred by
Ackers' code of signals from the commodore's craft, re-
peated by the Gem. Each of the yachts had a select
party of the friends of the various owners on board, and
after sailing over a distance of upwards of forty miles, re=
turned to Liverpool, and all expressed themselves highly
delighted with the day's cruise.