The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-01-21 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE

The general weekly meeting of the Dock Committee was
held yesterday. The following members were present,—
Messrs. Sands, Middleton, Sandbach, Chilton, Holmes,
Aikin, Evans, Martin, Tobin, Nicol, Shand, Molyneux,
Smith, and lsipley. The chairman of the committee, Mr.
Sands, presided.
The sub-committee for the department of the harbour-
masters recommended that the • slips on the east quay of
Queen's Dock be filled up ; and the South Harbour-master
suggested the necessity of additional sheds on the same quay.
The SURVEYOR said that these alterations might be made
with advantage, but it would be better not to make them
until the docks now closed were re-opened.
After a short conversation the recommendation was re-
ferrrd to the Sub-committee of Works.

The Sub-committee of Finance reported that the. police
accounts had been audited, and that £4Ol 12s. ld. wile found
to be due to the Watch Committee up to the 31st December
last. This amount was ordered to be paid.
The name to be given to the new south dock was the next
subject of consideration. The sub-committee last week pro-
posed that it should be called the Sefton Dock, and Mr.
AIKIN, seconded by Mr. Ilotmk:s, moved a resolution to
that effect, Mr. TOBIN warmly opposed the proposition, and
moved that it be called the Russell Dock ; but, this motion
dropped for want of a seconder. It was then proposed and
seconded, that the dock be called the Toxteth Dock. A
division was taken, when seven members voted for the name
being Toxteth Dock, and live for its being called Sefton Dock.
The dock was therefore christened by the former name.
The head constable reported that on Sunday evening a
fire occurred on board the schooner Rachel and Mary, lying
in King's Dock. The- vessel had arrived from Waterford
the day before, laden with grain and waste cotton, and. it was
supposed that the latter spontaneously ignited. After great
exertion the fire was extinguished, with no damage to any-
thing except the cargo.
Mr. J. B. YATES, president of the Southern and Toxteth
Hospital, applied to the committee, by letter, for an annual
subscription in aid of the funds of that institution.

Mr. TOBIN asked whether thecommittee had any power
to grant annual subscriptions?

The CHAIRMAN replied that they bad, and that they were
now subscribing to the Infirmary and Northern Hospital.
Mr. ToBIN inquired whether the Southern and Toxtetb
Hospital was situate within the limits of the port ?
Mr. SANDBACH replied that it was on the clock estate.

Mr. AIKIN said that whenthis-subject was previously
before the committee it was understood that a grant would be
made as soon as the institution should be opened. As it was
now opened the time was come when a grant should be made
to it the same as was made to some other institutions, for it
was more likely to be used than any other hospital from its
contiguity to the docks. . .

A MEMBER inquired whativere '
the subscriptions paid to
the Infirmary and to the Northern Hospital ?
The SECRETARY replied that £lOO were paid to the Infir-
mary and fifty guineas to the Northern Hospital.
Mr. HOLMES thought £lOO should be paid to the Northern
Hospital.
Mr. Atimv thought so too.

Mr. Nicol was of the same opinion, and he gave notice
that he would move that £lOO be granted to the Northern
Hospital whenever the committee of that institution chose to
apply for it.
A motion was then made and carried that £lOO be the an-
nual subscription of the Dock Committee to the Southern
and Toxteth Hospital.
Mr. TOBIN moved that the subscription to the Northern
Hospital be, for the future, £lOO per annum.
Mr. Nicol, seconded the motion, and it was carried una-
nimously.

Messrs. John Grantham and Co. applied for permission
to place a furnace for heating iron plates within the walls of
the Graving Dock, at the south end of Brunswick Dock,
during the repairs and alterations of the John Garrow, iron
vessel.

The SURVEYOR stated that there was no objection to the
application being granted.—Agreed to.

RESIGNATION OF MR. CHAPMAN

The CHAIRMAN said he was very sorry to inform the com-
mittee that Mr. Chapman, one of the members, had sent in
his resignation, in a letter which the secretary would read.

The SECRETARY then read the following ltter
"Liverppol, 17th January, 1842.
" MY DEAR SIR,—I deem it. my duty to resign my seat
at the Committee of the Liverpool Dock Trust, in order to
give the ratepayers an opportunity of declaring their senti-
ments on the late decision of the committee respecting the
shipwright's yards and the increasing encroachments of the
dock yard establishment on the land of the estate.

" I resign on this, ground solely, and not with a view to
open out any new matter connected with the intended dock
warehouses and transit sheds, but simply to ascertain whether
the ratepayers will permit their trade to be harassed,
annoyed, and driven away to the Harrington Docks for the
purpose of extending an expensive and overgrown establish-
ment, or insist upon having their new works executed by
contract, so as to admit of all spare land being appropriated
to the wants, and in furtherance of, the enterprise of the
trade of this great and flourishing port.
" Under these circumstances, I feel that my continuance
as a member of the dock committee would not be attended
with any beneficial results to the ratepayers, if my view of
the case indoors is opposed to the general opinion of the con-
stituency out of doors, therefore the honourable course is to
return the trust confided to me, in order that the public
wants and wishes may be duly represented, and forwarded
instead of thwarted in committee.
" In conclusion I think it right to mention that I enter-
tain a high opinion of the industry and personal integrity of
the dock surveyor, but consider his engineering talent behind
the age, hence the dock committee, instead of being i❑ ad-
vance of the wants of the public, have always been lagging
astern, under easy sail, in company with the surveyor.
" I am, my dear Sir, yours faithfully,
(Signed,) "HENRY CLEAVER CH APMAN."

(Laughter.)
Mr. TOBIN was very sorry that Mr. Chapman had re-
signed, but he had no notion of persons resigning from the
cause which he mentioned. The more he (Mr. Tobin) was
opposed the more was he determined to remain in the com-
mittee. He did not think that Mr. Chapman had done right
in resigning. He (Mr. Tobin) was sorry too when Mr.
Yates resigned, for he considered him in the committee some-
thing like what Joseph Hume was in the Hoase of Commons,
and though he very seldom agreed with him, he thought his
presence necessary. So it was with Mr. Chapman. How-
ever be (Mr. Tobin) was not one who would azk him (Mr.
Chapman) to come back. - --'-
Mr. Alderman EVANS thought it was really very con-
siderate in Mr. Chapman to have sent in his resignation
before the meeting of parliament, as otherwise the attention
of the nation might have been distracted by it.
The CHAIRMAN mentioned that it rested with the Mayor
to fix the time and place of election, but the rate-payers
would have to decide who should' succeed Mr. Chapman.
Mr. TomN hoped that the same parties who took so much
interest in the election of six or seven members of the
committee some time ago, would do so on this occasion.
The question then was, " warehouses or no warehouses,"
and he hoped it would be again " warehouses or no ware-
houses." He was quite sure that every member of the
committee was satisfied with the conduct of the chairman,
of the committee, and when he had got a little more ex-
perience he would become very valuable; but at the same
time his (Mr. Tobin's) opinion was, that the chairman
should be chosen by the committee at large, subject to the
approval of the Council, because nobody could know the
qualifications of any member for the chair so well as the
committee themselves. . _

Mr. AIKIN reminded Mr. Tobin, that to effect that object
the committee must go to parliament again.
Mr. TOBIN said the time for that probably was not far
distant.

Mr. Alderman EVANS said that Mr. Chapman having
resigned, he did not think they could do better than bring
their late chairman, Mr. Benn, with his great experience,
once more into the committee.

Mr. AIKIN said he should like much to see Mr. Benn in
the committee.

Mr. Chapman's letter was then ordered to be entered on
the books, and the committee separated.

THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN VERSUS THE
PORT OF LIVERPOOL.

Our contemporary the Manchester Guardian never, we
observe, lets slip an opportunity of emitting the rancorous
and spiteful feeling with which he regards the people and
the port of Liverpool. Why such a feeling should exist in
the mind of the leading organ of our cotton-spinning neigh-
bours, we know not. Ills various gifts as a journalist and a
prophet, a philosopher and a wit, are, we believe, fully ap-
preciated by our fellow-townsmen, who are willing upon all
reasonable occasions to.listen with due decorum to his sage
vaticinations, and to admire the profundity of his acquaint-
ance with arithmetic. And yet he looks upon us in return
with a malignant hostility which is perfectly unaccountable,
and never fails to do his feeble utmost of injury whenever an
occasion presents itself for levelling a misrepresentation or a
slander against our town.

We have one of these emanations of paltry spite before us
in his Wednesday's publication, and we quote it entire for
the purpose of enabling our readers to judge of the spirit
from which it emanates :

" FLEETWOOD versus LIVERPOOL.—We have had our
attention called to the widely-differing rates of charges on
the carriage of goods to Manchester, from ports in the north
of Ireland, viii Liverpool and vid Fleetwood ; and two freight
notes are now lying before us, which sufficiently illustrate
the principal points of difference. In both cases the goods
were from Belfast. The material items in these notes we
subjoin :

(LIVERPOOL NOTE.)
Goods. Rate. Paid on. Cartage. Total.
Butter, 15 cwt. 1 qr. .. 95... 208. 8d... Is. 4d... £1 9 0
(FLEETWOOD NOTE.)

Paid on. Total.
Butter, 22 cwt. 2 qr. 14s. 6d. £1 9 6
The rate' is the charge per ton between Liverpool and
Manchester; the paid on ' shows, in each case, the freight
from Belfast to the English, port, with all dock and port
charges. In the Liverpool -note there is a charge of Is. 4d.
for cartage, which, we believe, is Is. (id. per ton : in the
Fleetwood note there is no corresponding charge; the goods
being transferred, at the quay. from the hold of the vessel to
the railway lurry on which they are conveyed to Manchester.
The total charge for the freight, &e., of this butter, from
Belfast to Manchester, is, via Liverpool, about Is. 9d, per
cwt. ; vid Fleetwood, less than Is. 4d. per cwt. ; being a dif-
ference of about Bs. per ton between these two routes from
the ports in the north of Ireland. The goods come from
Fleetwood to Manchester by railway ; whilst from Liverpool
they come by water conveyanert. The great difference in
the cost is, doubtless, chiefly due to the heavy dock and port
charges at Liverpool ; but the matter is one of some impor-
tance to those importing goods, especially provisions, from
the north of Ireland." . _

.....
We dare say the grocer's boy who accommodated our
friend with the two documents, upon which he has founded
this venomous attack upon the port of Liverpool, was quite
as ignorant of the meaning of the various terms therein, as
the Guardian himself. Our contemporary says that " the
paid on' chews in each case the freight from Belfast to the
English port, with all dock and port charges; " and whilst
making this gratuitous assumption, we presume that the
Guardian believed it to be true. We have, however, the
satisfaction of assuring him that it is not true. The sum of
20s. Bd., which, because stated to be " paid on," he con-
cludes to be the freight and port charges of 15 cwt. 1 qr. of
butter from Belfast to Liverpool, is nearly 10s. more than
such freight and charges would amount to by steamboat be-
tween the two ports, as the Guardian might easily have dis-
covered if he had been as anxious to learn the truth as to
fling up his heels against us ; and his attack, therefore, and
his argument as well, go for nothing, except what they are—
viz., an emanation of spiteful ignorance. We dare say the
porter at any Manchester coach-office, or any Old Quay
carter, for a gratuity of a pint of ale, would be able to inform
the Guardian that the mystic words " paid on " in a freight
note mean just—paid on, arid nothing else in particular.

A duel with swords took place a few days ago between two
Ladies of Paris ! The fair combatants, who are known for
their wit, beauty, and fashion, quarrelled about an affair of
love, and a hostile meeting was the consequence. One of the
ladies was wounded, but we learn not dangerously.
DIABOLICAL OUTRAGE.—We much regret to be obliged
to record one of the most fiend-like outrages that we have
beard of for a long time. Some evil-minded wretch, having
gained admission to the Flax Spinning Mill at Beer's-bridge,
placed a bar of iron between the cogs of a wheel attached to
an upright shaft, by which, when the mill was set on, a
horizontal shaft was smashed, and other parts of the machi-
nery seriously damaged.