The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1853-01-18 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

TUESDAY MORNING, JAN. 18, 1853.  THE  WEEK  THE continued unsettled state of the weather—in which rain seems to have predominated, with barely the interval of a few hours' sunshine—has imparted a dulness to general conversation, in which complaints of discomfort and fears for the next harvest find frequent vent. The wind has several times veered to the westward, and a breeze from the north has once or twice inspired hopes of a change, to be soon disappointed ; so that the weather-wise have given up their prophetic talent in despair, and the mass have settled down into calm endurance, philosophically deciding that it cannot well be worse, and therefore that any change must be for the better. The dispute between the Town Council and the Dock Committee as to the treatment of Messrs. BAKER, and SON, with reference to their tender for constructing the new Docks at Wapping, has led to much comment out of doors, not always favourable to the latter body. There is a strong opinion that the Committee have not acted justly-, if even legally, in availing themselves of a clause in their advertisement which is generally understood to bear a different signification, There seems also a growing desire that the outlay of the large funds at the disposal of the Dock Committee should have the benefit of competition, a result which has not been arrived at by the course which has been pursued. At the meeting of the latter body, on Thursday, they at first resolved to ignore altogether the right of veto which had been exercised by the Town Council ; but on second thoughts they determined to suspend all further proceedings until a special meeting of the Council had given their decision upon the subject. The long disputed Pike question seems likely to form a subject of public discussion, and form once more a fertile theme for municipal contention. At the adjourned meeting of the Town Council, on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Water Committee said that, notwithstanding all the advantages which had been enjoyed by their Engineer in the choice of contractors, the position of affairs was far from being satisfactory. The Engineer had been obliged to preside as arbiter over the many disputes which had arisen with the contractors, and though confident hopes were expressed that he would arrive at an equitable and satisfactory conclusion, the public revive their old fears, and many think that the scheme is also destined to prove a sinking fund in which the corporate prosperity of Liverpool will ultimately be engulphed. No one will dispute the advantage and necessity of an ample supply of pure water to the populous community of this important town, but there is a dread of paying too dear for the whistle, and recent circumstances have tended in no degree to allay the apprehensions which have been generally entertained.  On Thursday morning some excitement was created hy the report that a sailor had been murdered on board an American vessel lying in the river. It appeared, however, that it was a drunken quarrel between two sailors—an American and a Spaniard—both of whom used their knives, and the former fell a victim to the stabs of his antagonist. The latter was taken into custody and ultimately committed for manslaughter, having been prevented from taking the law into his own hands by committing suicide. It is much to be lamented that the cowardly practice of using murderous weapons should have superseded the ancient mode of settling violent disputes by the less dangerous appeal to hard fists. In this case, however, neither of the offenders was an Englishman. The consecration of the new church at Fairfield, on Friday, by the LORD BISHOP of the diocese, drew together a goodly congregation, many of whom came from a long distance, attracted, no doubt, by the great beauty of the edifice and its internal decorations, of which we gave a lengthened description last week. It is one of the pleasing signs of the times, that the multiplication of dwellings for our increasing population is accompanied with the extension of church accommodation, Another gratifying event of the week was the annual meeting of the Liverpool Working Men's Church Association, at which it was stated by the Rev. Dr. BAYLEE, at whose suggestion the association had been established, that a considerable income had been raised by the working men of this town, for the laudable purpose of providing the pastoral ministrations of the clergy. They had nobly responded to the call, and the want was not so much in the requisite funds, but in clergymen to undertake the duty. The meeting was presided over by the Rev. Rector CAMPBELL, and the Rev. Dr. M`NEILE forcibly demonstrated the little that had been done for Divine worship by the all-professing Radicals. At the banquet given at Manchester to Mr. INGERSOLL, the American Minister to this country, Mr.