The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-04-29 00:00:00

at the time it was refused

In explanation of the refusal in q
that there had been a mistake on the part of the person sum-
moned, who should have been the stewards of tl

.stion, it was contend

,e bran(

which the complainant belonged

I not t

dent of the society, an office which the defend7n. .
filled. The society had been divided into several I

—the branches to provide for the sick, and the general com-
mittee for the mortality
,fund. The object was, that the
mortality fund might be raised by small contributions when
a death happened ; but the general president had nothing to
do with the fund for the sick according to the rules. The
claimant had, however, summoned the presidents of the
branch, by whom he was informed that-they were the wrong
parties to look to for payment.
A witness of the name of John Doyle was then sworn,
posed that he was president of the Provident Friendly

who de
Society

as subsequently merged into the Hibernian
Society, previously to which he was sent to Ireland on busi-
ness connected with the society, by whom his expenses,
amounting to £6, were paid. In reply to a question from
Mr. Rushton, for what " particular business" this sum of
money was spent by a benefit society, the following (to some
people) instructive admissions were made:—

Doyle.—Why, there was a gentleman—all these people are
jint/emen I—one of the members here, put under arrest, and
they sent me to see if I could get him bailed. I went to
Ireland, and it took a long time to get bail for him.
Mr. Rushton.—Why did they set you about getting bail
fora man under arrest in Ireland?

Doyle.—He was arrested here, and taken over to Ireland
Mr. Rushton.—On what charg
Doyle (hesitatingly).—Oh ! on

rivate affair

Doyle.—Ribbonism, I suppos
Mr. Rushton.—And you were sent to I__
Doyle.—No ; I wasn't sufficient bail, but I went to see if
I could get parties in Ireland to bail him.
A rather awkward excuse this of a benefit N society for
the non-possession of funds to pay its sick members ; and it
may be a startling- one to some gentlemen who deny the ex-
istence of RIBBONISM amongst us. Accordingly an attempt
was made to show that the £6 in question were contributed
from the private funds of the members, and not from the
society's box. The public, however, will scarcely admit such
a payment from members only of a benefit society to be very
conclusive evidence of the non-existence of the extension of
the ribbon system as a part of the real objects aimed at by
that society; and such appears to have been the expressed
opinion of the magistrate himself, although the question was
not strictly before him. The defendant, M'Ardle, was, after
considerable discussion and some adroit fencing, ordered by
Mr. Rushton to pay the amount of the claim, and told that,
if he refused, the members of the society would be compelled
to do so. We may remark, that such are the kind of bene-
fit (.'i societies whose processions on St. Patrick's Day, with
the priest at their head and revolutionary banners borne
before them, which are viewed with such tender interest by
a certain class of our " liberal " townsmen.

....-,.-.
MEETING OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE

The weekly meeting of the Dock Committee was held yes-
terday, when the following members were present :—Messrs.
Sands (chairman), Barclay, Holt, Holmes, Smith, Bulley,
Middleton, Nicol, Tobin, Shand, Ripley, and Evans.
The tender of Mr. Thomas Steele, for excavating rock for
the purpose of lengthening Clarence Graving Dock, was ac-
cepted. The tender of Mr. John Barker to supply 300 tons
of iron rails, was also accepted.
On the recommendation of the sub-committee for the de.
partment of the Marine Surveyor, it was ordered that a grant
of 2s. 6d. per month additional subsistence money, as allowed
to the crews of the light-ships when on duty, should be also
allowed to the two seamen attached to the Liver tender.
The same sub-committee produced a new plan for the
signalling of ships from Bidston, instead of the present poles,
which, from decay, have become insufficient for the purpose.
It was agreed to.

A report was made that Emanuel Rodriguez had picked
up the remains of the chain and the anchor which were lost
from one of the light-ships in 1833, and also the remainder
of a chain which was lost in February last. An order was
. ..

passed for the payment Of one-third' of the value
chains and anchor, as soon as the weight of them is

tained

Mr. RIPLEY observed that Rodriguez would perhaps have
to receive £25 for his trouble ; and it was most remarkable,
he said, that neither the chains nor the anchor were very
much corroded, although they bad been so long under water.
(Laughter.)

The CHAIRMAN said Mr. Ripley's remark was a very good
introduction to the next subject, which was the production
of tenders, by the sub-committee for the department of the
Marine Surveyor, for the new light-ship, both for wood and
iron. Their report was, that in their opinion the new light-

ship should be built of iron instead of wood ; and that Mr
Laird's tender, being the lowest, should be accepted.

After some desultory discussion, a division took place
when there appeared— _

For lion

For wood

Majority for iron 4
For iron—Messrs. Ripley, Holt, Barclay, Evans, Holmes
Bulley, Nicol, anti the Chairman-8.
For wood—Messrs. Middleton, Tobin, Smith, and Sham
—4.

Absent—Messrs. Horsfall, Moor
Molyneux, Martin, Aikin, Chilton, a

Mellor, Sand

. . . -
A letter from Mr. Joseph Cook, superintendent of pilots,
complaining of the mail steamers being allowed to lie across
the entrance to George's Basin, at tide time, was referred to
Mr. Askew, the water bailiff.

A memorial from Mr. Matthew Tiernan. the agent of se-
veral fishing smacks coming here from the coast of Ireland
and the Isle of Man, was read. It stated that Canning Dock
being closed, and the herring season just at hand, it was
highly desirable that some station should be found for them,
and suggesting that a portion of George's Dock be appro-
priated for that purpose, till the reopening of Canning Dock.
The CHAIRMAN stated that Canning Dock would be re-
opened in a fortnight.
Mr. TontN.—lt must be hard work, then ; I see no pre-
parations for its being opened in a fortnight or a month either.
The memorial was then ordered to lie on the table.
A letter from the owners and agents of several steam-
packets, requesting that an opening might be made in the
west boundary wall between Clarence and Trafalgar Docks,
for the accommodation of passengera and cattle landing upon
the pier, was referred to the Sub-committee of Works.
The committee then proceeded to the consideration of fi-
nancial matters, and separated about one o'clock.

CORRESPONDENCE

LECTURES ON THE NOVELTIES OF POPE

PIUS'S CREED

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,—I quite agree with your correspondent " Protes-
tant," that the Rev. J. C. Barrett, who is to deliver the lec-
ture this evening on the eighth novelty, merely requires to
be heard to be admired, whether as a preacher or a speaker.
I do trust, therefore, that the friends of the Protestant cause
will shew their regard to this champion in their cause by at-
tending the meeting. It is to be regretted that the opera-
tives cannot be admitted free of charge ; but unless the more
wealthy classes will pay, I suppose it is necessary to charge
all, in order to meet the necessary expenses attendant upon
the lectures. ANOTHER PROTESTANT.

IRON AND WOOD

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SlR,—Having noticed, in your paper of yesterday, a letter
headed " Iron and Wood," I am induced to offer a few ob-
servations upon it, not from an idea that anything I can say
will throw much light upon the subject, but rather from a
hope that I may elecit observations from some one better
able to afford information upon a subject that cannot fail to
be interesting to many of your readers who are engaged in
maritime affairs. Mr. Askew advises an experiment with
an inflated bladder, a piece of wocd of the same shape (he
does not name size), and a piece of cork the same shape (no
size named, so we may as well assume them all to be of the
same size as of any other size taken by chance). He then
recommends that a line and weight be attached to each—(we
may, I suppose, assume the weights to be equal, as he says
nothing to the contrary). Then the bladder, wood, and cork
are to be set afloat in a strong breeze. Now what is the re-
sult to be expected from such an arrangement? It may, I
think, be guessed at without experiment. The wood, being
deepest in the water, from its greater specific gravity, will
be less exposed to the action of the wind than the cork, and
the cork less than the bladder; the wood will be more acted
upon by the tide than the cork, and the cork more than the
bladder. Now if the weight attached to the wood be just
sufficient to act as ballast for the wood, it will be too little
for the cork, and much too little for the bladder. Then the
inference to be drawn from such an experiment appears to
me to be, that the weights and their buoys are not properly
adjusted : it does not, to my mind, prove that the bladder
may not, with a suitable weight, ride as steady as the wood.
Now, in adjusting the weights and buoys, we may either in-
crease the weights of the lighter buoys, or, if for any reason
it may be necessary to carry only a certain amount of weight,
we may make a proper reduction in the size of the lighter
buoys. Now let us apply this view of the case to the con-
struction of a light-ship. I cannot boast of a knowledge of
the requisites of such a ship, but she must, I suppose, be
capable of carrying a certain weight of mooring chain, lan-
terns aloft, and ballapt below. Ido not know the exact dif-
ference of buoyancy between a wooden and an iron vessel,
but we will suppose the difference to be considerably (the
amount does not matter in this case) in favour of the buoy-
ancy of the latter. Now we have a certain weight to be
carried, and the vessel to carry it will be exposed to the ac-
tion both of wind and tide ; and, therefore, the greater area
sbe exposes to their force, the more likely will she be to
break from her moorings. We may construct the vessel
either of wood or iron. A vessel constructed of the latter
is allowed to be more buoyant than one made of the former
material, and ought, if she is to carry the same weight, to
be of less size, and would therefore expose a smaller area to
the force of wind and tide; and I cannot conceive that any
good reason can be assigned why a wooden vessel, adapted
to the load she is to carry, should be more steady than an
iron one properly adapted to her load. There is one point
more. Would the decrease in size of the iron vessel be ob-
jectionable ? If so, and she must, for any reason with which
I am not acquainted, be built of the same size as the wooden
one, much of the benefit of her greater buoyancy would be
lost, but still some would remain, as her weight, being more
in ballast, would the better balance the weight and leverage
of her lanterns aloft.
Should you be kind enough to give insertion to the above
observations, and my view of the case should prove a wrong
one, some one will perhaps take the trouble to point out the
fallacy of it, and at the same time give their reasonings upon
the subject, one step will then be made on the road to truth.
—Your obedient servant,
ONE WHO IS WILLING TO LEARN.
April 27th, 1842.

ARMY CIIAPLAINCIES.—The SUM of £ll,OOO only
charged in the army estimates for divine service.

CROCKFORD'S atm—This celebrated club, which since
the secession or retirement of the proprietor, Mr. William
Crockford, from the establishment, has been managed by a
committee of noblemen and gentlemen, of whom a noble earl,
residing in May-fair, and a distinguished foreign count are
said to be the leading members, now consists of only 600
members, as we are informed. Francatelle, late maitre d'
hotel at Buckingham Palace, now fills the office of chef de
cuisine
to
the club. Mr. Crockford has purchased or taken
the splendid mansion on Carlton-terrace, adjoining the Mar-
quis Cholmondeley's, where he enjoys his otium cum digni-
tate.