The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-11-14 00:00:00

THE MAYOR'S COMMUNICATIONS,

A letter from the secretary of the Shipowners' Associa-
tion, enclosing a communication received by that body
from Professor Phillips respecting magnetism in iron
ships, and . the resolutions passed by the association, was
referred to the Museum Committee.
Mr. J. B. LLOYD said he had sent a copy of the resolu-
tions passed by the Shipowners' Association to Professor
Phillips,
A letter from Mr. Henry Melling, secretary to the
Royal Mersey Yacht Club, making application for the use
of the Town-hall rooms on the evening of the 4th December,
for the purpose of holding a public ball in aid of the
Patriotic Fund of the United Services, was referred to the
Town-hall Establishment Committee.
A memorial from the journeymen tailors of Liverpool,
requesting that the contracts for police clothing might be
given to tradesmen in the borough, upon condition that
the work should be done on their own premises, was
referred to the Watch Committee.
The council then adjourned.

THE BIRKENHEAD DOCK WORKS

AT the meeting of the Birkenhead Commissioners, on
Tuesday evening, Mr. Hind called the attention of the
board to the present state of the Birkenhead Dock works,
which he said was a matter of vital importance to the
township, and of great interest to the public. He had no
doubt that some gentleman present connected with the
dock trustees could give the board an account of the pro-
gress of the works, and how things were going on.
Mr. CURRY said that the works at present were
merely going on—only one hundred and fifty men being
employed at the docks and at Flaybrick-hill toge-
ther. He would take a retrospective view, in order to put
the whole matter clearly before the board. In October,
1852, Messrs. Brassey and M'Cormick contracted with the
trustees for the construction, within three years, of the
outer works, viz., the river walls, the north wall of the
south reserve, the south reserve itself, and the excavation
of the tidal bason. The walls of the north reserve, and the
construction of the river wall being a liability on the part of
the Crown. In part payment of this contract, the south
reserve was taken at a given sum by the contractors, with
the right of redemption to the trustees at any time within
two years from the completion of the contracts. In the
session of Parliament of 1853, the trustees brought in a
bill to enable the railway companies having an interest in
Birkenhead to subscribe, on certain conditions, for the
completion of the entire works. During Parliament (in
the month of June), Mr. • Brassey made a tender to the
trustees to execute the remainder of the works in three years
—that is to say, the permanent dam across the pool, an
entrance of 100 feet wide, and a lock of similar width and
500 feet long, together with the excavation of a certain
portion of the great float, in payment of which he offered
to take the bonds of the trust, a piece of land to be 'Pe-
claimed at Bridge-end, and the surrender of the rights. of
the trustees to reclaim the south reserve, as agreed by the
first contract, the trustees to have the right to reclaim the
land at Bridge-end within a year after the completion of
the contract. This tender was made upon the condition
that the trustees should obtain the sanction of Parliament
to capitalise interest in arrear and re-arranging the pri-
ority of other bonds, so that all, including. those to be
issued in payment of the contract, should be issued upon
an equality, except the £50,000 preference created in 184.8,
By unheard-of efforts, a bill to the effect was introduced
and passed, and the consent of the bondholders obtained,
upon the condition that the contract was executed before
the expiration of the year. A contract for the completion
of these works upon the terms of the tender within three
years, was executed in December, 1853, by Messrs. Brassey
and MTormick, and by Messrs. Peto and Betts as their
guarantees. The first work to be done included the con-
struction of the dam across, the mouth of the bason to
exclude the water. This was to. be paid for in cash by the
Crown in return for the river wall of the north reserve.
built by the trustees, and involved the sum of £22,000 ;
which, we believe, has been. received by Mr. Brassey. As
is well known, this dam, on the point of completion, fell
down in the early part of the year —March. Mr. Brassey
undertook to restore• it at his own cost by the August
following. It is not completed yet. No preparations have
been made for the works inside the dam ; and as Mr.
Brassey plainly stated in August that he could not go on
without money being found—(notwithstanding his con-

tract was to take the bonds instead, and to issue which
the trustees went to the expense of an Act of Parliament)
—there is, judging by appearance, no reason to expect that
he intends to do so; more especially as th( --
informed
he has gone to Italy for the winte

rustees are
Notice has