The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-12-19 00:00:00

Dee. 19, 1843 LOltp ASHLEY ON THE CONDITION OF 1-RE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. made by speed' breathing philanthropy in every word wa . s Idn- e i e i t: b o 3: Lord Ashley, at Sturminster Newton, on Thurs. d ay week, at the annual dinner of the Agricultural So -that place, on the moral and physical condition of th e a • 1 ,.. re_ gricultural labourer. He premised the subject . .`,,i)„,. ferring to the statements which have been made by u,1., • Austin, Alr. Sheridan, and others, as to the low rate el wages which prevailed in Dorsetshire, and the conse tr'lnept misery and degradation ofke labourer, and then 12eeeded to observe, " Do we admit the assertion that _ wages of the labourer in these parts are scandalously ;L"_wkpainfully inadequate to the maintenance of the hus „.adman and his family, and in no proportion to the "t 8 of the soil P If we are able to deny this state wdsvtth:r7roe,llsihngall also be able to disprove it—let us do so , we, delay ; but if the reverse, not an hour is to be away the reproach. Ido not pretend to liriin.iltitce as to the precise mode of doing these things e , sufficiently practical, or conversant with th a large and payment of labour ; but this I.know, that if „e” self-denial, an abatement of luxuries, a curtailing , end, what are called comforts, be necessary to tbi ela4,,e.t us begin at once with the higher and wealthier tiok" - sit must be dune ; there is neither honour, nor . to dwell ?r joy (setting aside all higher considerations) ~, on 8 , 1 , a house, however fair the outside, which rests that zi. rotten and crumbling foundations. Do we deny ti th e dwellings' of the poor are oftentimes ruinous, ate?, contracted, ill-drained, ill-ventilated, and so situd irno,:B,!° be Productive of many forms of disease .and rekterautY P If we do, let us take the same course, and the 88 t. ; : u ti r on a , cc a u n s d e i r s ; but if not, let us hasten to wipe out delib e ' . '° . ; the remedy is within our reach ; it nee I must say, allows of no delay,.—shall d p ulTer these hot-beds of n:ise and sin to afflict and Q re ur their victims Even where rY the life of the .la tor4s iiB i 8 pared his health is broke % j.ow?, la for of toil to support either himself and he or n h e is - Edi lea ' ti rhere is a mighty stir now made . inbeh .e a t lf m o e f ask ~A °° .band I heartily thank God for it . ; but 1 t ,..•• 4 -1 wh at , purpose is it to take a little child—.a a a dO3 fern ,le, for instance—and teach her six hours her t a - Jiiies of decency and every virtue, and then sendn learn i e , ' , to such abodes of filth and profligacy, toaur— to witnY the Practice of an hour the lessons ofa bor 4 8 , and oftentimes to share, though at first against y r e ded p qen t l etr i l the abominations that have been r % I ' te d p " ' l i fYou desire to have a moral and weceoll-.ceoenp troell'unde,?P'ei You must do your best to place and k -.ea. a ,r LI ~.., Blich circumstances, that they may lessons the y h a and °PPortunity to bring into action the ?e °Pl 'e b een taught, the principles they have acquired. Nal: to their boards of guardians, and hear the , long an Profga . e o , f bastardy cases ; they cry out ' these per walk i'j'avtes, a ssuming, that when in early life walk w . e., been treated as swine, they are afterwards to rneo 'to the dignity of Christians. And now, gentic 814e notwithstandin the openness with which I have t4 kiv ri en t : Y °ll , I hope, nay, yeaslbeliee I shall obtain yor r eonr se 88 ' It would have been yto take a , s s a u e - Pre ss; t hold a more flattering language, and, by • p_ ho l i,, e g the reality, indulge the imagination ; but 1 respee7tot then have done either my duty to you, or had You ou ght t o the consistency of my own principles. ant to E' know and reflect on these things ; and ought all ci li n e d l Ynx-eyed to the misconduct of manufacturers, ,t 4 alea til to the faults of landowners. We have the thick, a vast superiority in virtue and comfort over 1 th,,,i-Y crowded districts ; let us do our best to profit r Nat` advantage, and attain the desirable issue that ou 41 )clpi ll dottlY rival should lie in a competition o moral to tni jl benefits to all our people. Set ~ Itsyourselves greatest , m av op,,o`._igte the severity of the poor law. t e i t ' a .r . ter s ...i if admit that it is severe • but that severity . ~ t ion. -4 ga_ted or increased by the mode o . f its administra- N t7,R 1 11 a more frequent and friendly . intercourse ;too l t,: labouring man—we have lost much in departing PaBiB f, 7 Primitive si licity of our forefathers ; respect, . tsy-eungs • T - him in solid money , it , respect his rights ; pay . il' hi rh .again emphatically, pay him in solid money ; t ron,i -it i due time ; and, above all, avoid that mon °Lit h.,,auotnination which disgraces some other counties, 4 46' 4 Which, I believe, ' g we are altogether free, the llle a ,g Your fields in the time of harvest ; give to )opt 'r his , ancient his Scriptural right ; throw ope h n lathe ra'es-'-tirow ' them wide open to the poor, t ea e t o 3 , 44 r es!, and the widow. Gentlemen , . these men a 1 tilt ) , a with every claim of justice, service, and affection; aye tepiell!id their fathers have tilled your fields ; they have b and still replenish, your armies, to extend u.'"rd th 111 °n and defend your shores. Often have I Zi,, e great Duke of Wellington declare that all his_ e -4 1)4,, ar1d courage would have effected nothing had h sh . ; c alled to command so noble a material as the ee e . abourer. Such service the y have rendered once nil! kaY be summoned to do so again ; and surely l'eas k , t e, shall find our account in a vigorous and loyal tc4t r l7 ' 'Rut let draw our resolutions from a highe a te , , recollect th:all wealth, talent, rank, andpower ..f. 'Pu 1, p,or. t h. ,_-Y clod for his own service, not for our luxury tiltgieet:pit'etur,enretfiedt der others not for the pride of ourselves. 'bea u °et render an account unt of privileges misused, u. g of away• -of opportunities thrown of property, sii itc h ,' and they sanctify the possession 'till hi O ls e, and grace its enjoyment ; accomplishing iZertilietilteajid better ends by leading the poor, wh . o ex_- q to hear,,r value, to thoughts of piety and peace ~and, to ' - ti lat 2 a nd . prayer of the Apostl 4 e, w to e b a le li ss m A ns l t m s i t g r h iv ty e ) o %to rte tuell like these, and such ?.. Ito Pertv snare invested with station and leisure, and 'Ni l "„, p " (The eloquent and np i se ) -4 the noble lord was followed by great opp au. . .Ity ...•••••••..---- kk.1,.. ChtritA ll ,`'P AN INFANT, AND DEATH OF THE UN tl:6lNrl-',wl°TRER!—The neighbourhood of Newpor t , 4p -r efit: f t . '" en Friday last much excited by the report p of ' er O f an infant, by a widow of the name of roc °,,,sehhusband has been dead between three and four 11 1 ' rcPort proved to be too true. In the ey_e_nr -4404(11, Hitehins held an inquest at the Ivy Tavern. M ti,! :j tIY ilt aurgeon, stated that the child was full-grown ; round its neck was a ligature of list, so tti l d' a wn that he could not pass his finger between : b a 4 tr at .s i of the infant were clasped so tightly (the effects 111 e ‘tile:s,_tieti), that it was di ffi cult to open them. Had motherta- ',at the child was born alive. Had no doubt tee m . pied from loss of blood, produced by the he by '„°1 0 . •le the urse of half an hour the jury returnel cen i l i llF verdi ct : The infant was wilfully murder ed rrocter. The deceased (Sarah Procter) died ?tit causes.—Lincoln Herald. t let t : V N lt h °ll TRADE IN SOUFH WALES.—IVIERTHYR 41 0 — ,, e e• 14 —There are four sets of iron-works q *th - l 6i ng to different firms of ironmasters—con s4litilt,,l4l each of which are mines from which or 41 . 4 ,,k 11- 1,", , and collieries which supply the coal for smelt- Ne t ' r k;re v ,';e heads of these' firms are—Sir John Guest, del44'. 4 naY, Mr. Hill, and Alderman Thompson. At era-est'a works there are eighteen blast-furnaces ; at ith,,rs' e leven; at Mr. Hill's, six; and at Al tile' fur --mPs°a's, six. It requires to work each of 11 1 4 44,',"Pec, in c oal.mining, obtaining the ore, and D e . 4 l4 4 .`uring the iron, about 300 men. At Sir J. Guest's, f t , p l)l a t;* eXtenSive of e works, upwards of 5,000 work -s:l4•eett'.e em Ployed in these and at the eighteen blast tothlo tv;,eall of these furnaces consumes sixty tons of cf Tght and day, or, amongst them, about 1,100 •IV l 'oe c j a t Per day—yesterday 1,028 tons of coal were ii • - ,„ t°o l,',stld on Saturday 1,462 tons were consumed. 41 06 , w cri c • : k s in getting 6d. to 3s. . 10d. the ton. At 'cna ', Which are the largest in the world, about ro a , -- N, ) ° ,' iro n are manufactured each week. The firm op . .Lhe "„ 411 3' about 60,000 tons of manufactured no o n_ t i lttl ah l s aiNcart of Cardiff. The present value of a ton f V I P t The wages paid by this firm at present :JtiZerly t ° £4 • £3,500 p er e ' week, or £14,000 per month , Wa' the fi" e n v.-ags wre higher, and the trade more ' 4 g les, - '," 11 has paid as much as £25,000 per mon th tt t ,„ t ate % . he Wages the men get are now at the follow ,tathm'ea, ,Zeolliers about 15s. a week ; miners, 145.; tft h illt_ t Fts7 2 , ° h_ . th ' e aver age •, day labourers, 2s. a day ; ' th bet s, bd. ; smit hs, 25...10d.; fitters, 3s. 4rl. I qtl l N 4 thae will give some idea of the vast extent h e Pt r ,, i( s. The firm has just completed m a contract 0 tons of ,"°1 barussian Government to sly lin between `PlI t L e °V? for the railway line n ow . ma .g Be a ,' av at ,, th ' St. Petersburgh. i 4I Y 4, 41 is unkno i—thoug A h t thi s thls being i e s x extensive s ifvreo from firm the 4 tt l / 4 Atto - -ge "se here. ti d Ilk ; 0,, k•ONNOß.—Articles of Impeachment .eit'udea" ! I D, against this celebrated char have latan b one of have th-; totlowers who seems at . any rate to pro .e - . : t 4t Goh i,,'tie a l "'ear-bought experience obtained in the trad th agitation. The accuser, Mr. Watkins, after t hi ;le ear ‘ he has carefully watched 0 Connor , luring his he is do tno ' but -er t and come to the conclusion tha t Of C h u Postor " and that he is now murdering the l't4ll4e,l''.••••l.Tttitsamt hebiringost aa g ainst him g monopoly of the ' Peopl e 's the , follow_in i g s b, l 4 td ,lo e 7trarY to the as sp g irit of Chartism, whilmisoip.- •4th e ,liti i. tn ?nepolies.-2. That he has - That us having o miZhutlce" many true patriots.-3. their B t le l ( l Tl,e . believe he would lead them against Iv 4 ,tlVes s i o. "±u the men of Wales risen upon the faith of t hlti, l ttl ie _ u a. he deserted them Olen too _late ov t e o r r n e ment: , 4 in, to the fury of an kncens F ed g st i l k e t , l l ta. a n a ed those genuine Chartists— ro e rit't , proved a " heavy blow and . great disco (11 ha~a Ovii,„`c Chartis m.-4. That he treacherously caused of O'Brien, ' hile pretending to serve him N; i stal* ---5 . That he ' used his influence to . °plead guilty, though thereby ti N t , itl 3 101. heat when in ' prison_his conduct stigrowataiszendnde hthee- N,nl rer for the cause. 7. That though . he "th,. score " New Movers," be made te_rmswith the mixed l f th up ctlrel of the lot.-8. That he h "ti% • Ch rter 'PL with the a , greatly' to, Nit b — 9. That he helped t 11 41. y • • • he Tories to power. detrime_nt • t la Joining all parties by turns, he has shown '4kc , : 4 ll t 4 . t, l3 i t} 4 l h , g but iv a . vain and the mdeelricnetinnaernyetieims oef-setrhyeerla.—t.e • tv e, e t he 11.1 MT o f Proved himself a double dealer ; and seen !heilti'le to expediency.-12. Th at he truckled to t t he w hen on his trial for consp iracy, h and compro- A r ; l4 ta i' l use of Chartism.— dg the ht, Fet . 1 ' exposing them to . I th 3 e . T sc h l a rn of the Irish in Repeal question..-1 . That at the late b at ed I t l 9t w e tt , ne thrust the Charter into the background to eq tr rd his land-jobbing scheme and that he vio- C t lt7titi, s li st as delegate, and sacrificed Chartist principle t ° , 4 tia' t, ) "g or concurring in the apooint.nen t . o .s f a g n en e e x r e a - 1 4 41.,:t earry out his purposes.—ls. That h' 1411 01; 14 ,7 1 as h'een totally unbecoming a Gentleman, o a . fra Christian, and calls for the severest repr 14 all well-wishers to the cause. A DISINTERESTED ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUER. A somewhat rich scene, highly illustrative of the pecu liar disinterestedness of a certain " honest John Brooks," a distinguished member of the Anti-Corn-law League, occurred at the meeting of the friends of Mr. Oastler, held in Manchester on Thursday last. In the course of his address, Mr. Ferrand related to his audience the following anecdote—most characteristic it will be acknowledged to be, by those who know the man—of an interview which took place between them in the lobby of the House of Commons. " During the period that the tariff was under discussion in the House of Commons," remarked Mr. Ferrand, " it happened that the subject of the diminution of the duty on coffee was to be brought forward on a particular night. I went down, Mr. Chairman, to the House of Commons, for the purpose of being present during the debate. As I passed through the lobby of the house, Mr. Croucher, the parliamentary agent, whom I have no doubt you know, tapped me on the shoulder, and said, ' Mr. Ferrand, I am extremely anxious to introduce to you a deputation from Manchester.' I turned round and said I should be most happy to meet any gentleman from Manchester on any question. He said they wished to speak to me _bout the one now before the house ' • ' Allow me (he said) to in troduce to you Mr. Alderman Brooks.'—(Great laughter.) I made a low bow to Mr. Alderman Brooks; and he did the same to me.—(Laughter.) Oh, (he says) Mr. 9 F en I am glad to shake ha nds with you; you gven us some hard raps.'—(Loud cheers and laughter.) I re plied—' I hope nothing but what is true, Mr. Brooks.' Why, (he said) I must say, some of them are, some of them ar'nt.' He then said—' Mr. Ferrand, I and the gentlemen you see around me, (and there were five or six along with him) wish you to vote against the diminution of the duty on coffee.'—(Great laughter, and There's free trade.') I raised my hands in astonishment. He says, I'll tell you how it is. You see there's myself and theme g nllemen have been speculating very largely in cqffee"—(Great laughter.) And my reply was--' And I hope, Mr. Brooks, you have been taken in.'—(Laughter.) ' As, (he says) you see, if Sir Robert Peel reduces the duty on coffee to the extent which be proposes to do, we shall lose a very great sum of money." What ! (I said) this from Mr. Alderman Brooks, the great champion of the Anti-Corn Law League,—(applause)—the great o s tle of free trade, — (applause) —who is for doing away apostle of free trade,_(apPl3use)_o is for doing away with every protective duty in the country! Impossible!' I said. Oh, God love you, (he said) we're all for our selves in this world.'—( Roars of laughter, the mirth being not a little heightened by the close imitation which the hon. member gave of the worthy alderman's voice and maner) And my reply to himsurely see before me n the . worst sample of the Anti-Corn-Law League.'— (Applause.) Mr. Ferrand, we may remark, en passant, was mistaken in supposing that in " honest John " he saw " the worst sample " of the Anti-Corn-Law League. He saw, cer tainly not a very wise sample, but an honest one, and, when in gruel, a very liberal member of that body. John's " God love you! we're all for ourselves in this world," contains more of truth and openness of disposi tion than is contained in all the speeches of all the Leaguers, peripatetic and otherwise. They should wear it as their motto; and, when they address an audience, should proclaim aloud as the motives of their agitation— " You see we've been speculating largely in mills and machinery, twist and calico." But " honest " as he is, and liberal of his money,— when in gruel,—John was not disposed to have his good natured admissions made public, without an attempt to neutralise the effect, which he feared they might have, when blurted out in his own particular sphere of free trade profession and self-glorification. John was, at the moment at which this sad, sad exposure of League dis interestedness was made public, " crowing like any chan ticleer" amongst congenial spirits at the Free Trade Hall —parading his great honesty, his great care for the work ing classes, and his utter disregard of his own money bags. He had given, gruel inspired, five hundred pounds to the great League Fund. But some good-natured friend whispered in his eAr that he had just received —in another place, as they say in parliament — one of Mr. Ferrand's " hard raps" ; and forthwith, in a fever of agitation, he hurried from the scene. of his glory to the Corn Exchange, there to undergo another " rap " just as hard as the first. Having been promoted to a place on the platform, Mr. Brooks. in a highly excited state, attempted to explain the coffee matter. His object, he explained, in going to London, was not to prevent the reduction of the duty on coffee generally, but to obtain from Government a reduc tion upon Brazil coffee in the same ratio as the reduction upon British plantation. " And I will tell you," he re marked, with infinite innocence. " why I went. The. first thing was my own interest; (!) for I lost £3,000. and a friend of mine lost a similar sum. * * * If it had not been for this, I should have been able to sell my fo reign coffee 2d. a pound cheaper"—(rather say. most wor thy Leaguer, to put twopence a pound in thy pocket.) " It was a dead robbery on the men who held foreign coffee." In reply to this intended disclaimer, Mr. Ferrand again repeated, to the worthy Leaguer's face, the circumstances of the conversation. Mr. Brooks, he contended, and the world will acknowledge, justly. had admitted the truth of the statement made by Mr. Ferrand—that self-interest was his leading inducement to interfere in this matter of the coffee duties—that " honest John" had declared "we are all for ourselves in this world." " Let Mr. Brooks deny that." continued Mr. F., "and I will pro duce witnesses who heard it, at the door of the House of Commons, in the presence of the door keepers, in the presence of Mr. Croucher, in the presence of other gen tlemen, as well as of the deputation who surrounded him!" After this, we should imagine that his brethren of the Anti-Corn-Law League will hesitate before they send from home, on any important affair, so very indiscreet and voluble a gentleman. A Novwry.—A few days ago an application was made to the Isle of Man Court of Chancery to have a cockatoo, two cats, and a dog sold, being part of the effects arrested under a petitioner's action. It was alleged that these animals were so expensive to keep, that before the decree could be had, their maintenance would amount to more than they would probably sell for. The Court ordered the sale as prayed for. The application caused great amusement in court. FIRES IN LONDON.—On Thursday night last, at half past eleven o'clock, a destructive fire was discovered raging' on the premises of Mr. Delahunt, hair-dregser, &c., No. 3, Bedford -place, Commercial-road East. The building was two stories in height, and the flames were first perceived in the lower part. In about five miDnuela tes a f terwar ds the entire building was ignited. Mrs. hunt and a lodger with difficulty escaped d a invast safety. The o fi re engines were so on brought up, an volume f water was poured on the fire, but se the na mes ma made great Mr. havoc, and t he adjoining premis, oby Ridell, Venetian blind maker, caught fire. A portion of the front of the first-narned premises soon afterwards fell with an awful crash, and the firemen narrowly escaped personal injury. At this time it was feared the extensive premises of Mr. West, butcher, would also be ignited, and some person's let loose the whole of the live stock, which ran amongst the crowd, d a bullock knocked down a man an d severely injure an d him. Towards one o'clock the firemen mastered the fire, but not till Mr. Delahunt's place was burnt down, and Mr, Ridell's and another much damaged. The premises were insured. The origin of the fire is unknown. —Same morning , at of on e o'clock, a fire also toil( place on the prem Messrs. Heywood and Co., floorcloth manufacturers, Albany-road, Camberwell. It burst out in the boiling room. Mounted policemen were despatched to the Lon don fire-station , and severy guishel engid , e but ns camebefore u the flames were eventually extin entire stock and apparatus of the boiling-room were con sumed. Property, (insured,) to the amount of £5OO was destroyed. Nothing satisfactory is known, as to the origin of the fire. The City article of the Times has a table exhibiting the proportionate decrease of value in gold according to twelve various degrees of deficient weight, and the price that will be given for each sovereign at the Bank before and after the I s t of January next : £3 17s. 10 d. is t he price given now; £3 17s. did. is assumed as the worth of the material of the coin after the Ist of January. We take the two ends of the scale, the highest and the lowest. Price before Weight of Price a 1. fter Jan. 1. Sovereign. Jan. s. d. dwts. grs. s. d. 19 10.99 .... 5 2/ •• .. 19 9.91 19 74.28 .... 5 1 .• .. 19 64.25 " Taking an average of the whole twelve degrees in the table, it is found that the weight of the light sovereign is 5 dwts. 1.11-16 grs. The average price for the first period is 19s. 8?1.63d., and for the second 19s. 74.58 d., giving respectivi losses of about 3-id. and 'lid. How ever, as sovereigns are seldom found in the condition represented by the last four degrees, an average of more practical utility may be struck on the first eight. This gives 5 dwts. 11.75 grs. for the weight of the sovereign •, 19s. 9+.58d. as the price for ths first period and 19s. 8i.56d. as that for the second, the respective losses being about ad, and 3d . The holder, therefore, ought scarcely ever to suffer beyond the extent of 4d., even after the Ist of Jenuary. These calculations are worthy of the greatest attention ; since, properly applied, they will render extortion on the part of the buyers of light gold absolutely impossible." THE TOWER OF LONDON.—Extensive alterations and improvements are to be made at the Tower, which was recently visited by the Duke of Wellington in his capacity of its Chief Officer, or Constable, preparatory to their commencement. His Grace made a minute survey of the buildings and localities, attended by Captain Elrington. The two archways contiguous to the Salt Tower. at the eastern extremity, near the St. Katherine's Docks, and the houses extending in a northerly direction, opposite to what are called the Irish barracks, are to be pulled down, in order to widen the thoroughfare for foot passengers and carriages. The tenements to the westward, now occupied by some of the warders and resident Clerks of the Ord nance Department, and which are situate in the rear of the Small Armoury, are likewise to be razed. On their site are to be erected barracks of sufficient magnitude to accommodate one thousand men ; the Map Tower is to be converted into officers' barracks. The Beauchamp Tower, or State Prison, which is at present the mess-room of the Officers of the Battalion of Guards on Tower duty, is to constitute the new Small Armoury, to be placed in charge of the warders, and to be opened to the public. The men's barracks will form the northern side of a new square, and face the White Tower; the east ern aide will co nsist of the officer's barracks in to be rear of the Irishan baes r- racks. The intervening s p made into planade for the recreation of the troops. The moat, hav ing been drained and levelled to low water mark, is to be planted with trees and evergreens (which latter are to be trained up the walls of the fortress to conceal them from the eye) and used for pleasure grounds and the occasional exercise of the men. SHIRTS AT A FARTHING EACH. Much has recently been said and written on the small ness of the sum paid to women for the making of men's shirts, but all the facts on the subject have not yet, it seems, become public, for no quotation has been made of the price received and paid at the workhouses of London for the manufacture of those garments. The following statements were accidentally elicited at an inquest held on Wednesday, before the deputy coroner for Middlesex, on the body of a woman, named Ann Humphreys, who had died in St. Pancras Workhouse on the previous day. The first witness called to prove the death of the deceased was a woman named Ann Benson, a respectable looking elderly person, whom a juryman chanced to ask, " How are you used in the workhouse?" The witness replied, " Very well ;" adding after a pause, " but I work very hard for a farthing !" " What," asked the coroner, "do you mean by that ?" W.—l make a shirt for it. C.—What sort of a shirt? W.—Generally striped shirts, but we put good enough work in them for any gentleman to wear. They are obliged to be done with goodness and exactness, or we should not be allowed to earn the farthing. C.—Where does the material come from? W.—lt is workhouse work, sir. They come to the work house by hundreds to be made. Ann Voyce, another witness, being at the time in the room, said, " It was a farthing a piece if we make only one, or two farthings if we make two ; but if we make three of the same batch, then we get a penny." C.—How many can you make in a day? W.—Perhaps one by working all day. C.—And what do you do with all the money? W.—Buy tea and sugar with it. C.—But perhaps you have additional comforts in the workhouse instead of more money? W.—We have a quarter of a pound of sugar, a week, whether we make shirts or not; but no tea, nor any milk, unless we buy it, or friends bring it. C.—And do you get breakfast and tea out of six far things ? W.—We are obliged to make it do, for if we don't earn it, however, we go without, and have water-gruel, which is very good. C.—Did the woman who is dead have tea? \V.—Yes, because a friend brought it to her. We manage to make the money do by only giving one another tea-leaves some days. I had the woman's tea-leaves when she had done with them till she died; and as she could not wait on herself, I attended on her for it. C.—How long was she in the workhouse? W.—Three weeks. _ _ C.—Why could she not attend to herself ? W.—Because she was very bad in her breath, and had palpitations. C.—Did she see the doctor on that account ? W.—No; but the assistant came to see her when she was dying. She did not wish to see the doctor before. All she wished for when she came to me was for a quiet place to be in. C.—Did she have it? not, because the infirm-ward was so full. _ C.—Did she have a raom to herself? W.—No, we lie four in a bed. The first witness.—No, only three, because the fourth lies on the floor. _ _ C.—ls that because the house is so full? W.—l suppose so. C.—Are the beds of a good size? W.—Yes, there is every comfort for a poor woman, and every care is taken of invalids. C.—Are you tasked in doing the shirts? W.—No ; but I could not have tea if I did not make them. - - _ C.—Would you miss that ? W.—l am pretty hearty, and it would not signify to my health; but some are only fit for tea, arid would be glad to earn it. A Juryman wished to know whether the farthing was paid by the dealers who sent in the cloth, or a higher sum, and if so, what sum ; because, if it was lower at the workhouses than out of them, it was a wonder that so many poor women out of them were paid even 11d. a shirt. One of the witnesses said she thought that 2d. out of every shilling received by the parish was paid to the wo men in the workhouse for the work of the kind that was done there. A Juryman wished that the great comfort of life to the old people, tea, could be obtained by them on easier terms. A verdict of " Died from natural disease" was returned. THE GREAT WESTERN STEAM-SHIP COMPANY.—At a special general meeting of the shareholders, held in Bristol, on Monday, it was announced that the Great Britain would be ready for an experimental trip in Fe bruary next; upon which a resolution was unanimously passed, that a meeting of the proprietors be summoned on the 2d of January, to decide upon her following the Great Western on the New York line early in May, which the directors stated, after mature deliberation, was their intention, provided it met with the sanction of the share holders. The directors were subsequently empowered to borrow £lO,OOO to complete the ship for sea. The Great Western's net profits for the past season were stated to amount to £6,900, out of which it is proposed to give the shareholders a dividend of 50s. per share. HARRIET MARTINEAL.-0111' readers (says the West minster Review) will be gratified with the following par fielders relative to the testimonial of respect subscribed for that lady after she had declined a pension from go vernment, offered by Lord Melbourne. The managers of the testimonial to Miss Martineau, having been r: quested by that lady to forward the accompanying letter to the subscribers. avail themselves of the opportunity to inclose the following statement:— X. s. d. Amount subscribed . Stationery, postage, and advertising 23 0 0 £1,358 8 10 " To the Contributors of a Testimonial to H. Martineau. " My dear Friends,—To reach you individually from my retirement is not easy ; and to convey to you the feel ings with which I accept your kindness is impossible; yet I cannot but attempt to present to each of you my ac knowledgments, and the assurance of the comfort I feel, from day to day, in the honour and independence which you have conferred upon me. By your generous testi mony to my past services you have set me free from all personal considerations in case of my becoming capable of future exertion. The assurance which I possess of your esteem and sympathy will be a stimulus to labour, if I find I have still work to do : and if I remain in my present useless condition, it will be a solace to me under suffer ing, and a cordial under the depressions of illness and con finement. I am, with affectionate gratitude, your friend and servant, " HARRIET MARTINEAU. " Tynemouth, October 22, 1843." GOVERNMENT PATRONAGE OF POPISH PRIESTS . The priests of the Church of Rome derive an immense sum from their flocks, so great that it is very clear that no sum which any government could think of proposing would go near to supply them as an equivalent. Under taking this measure would only be a certain sacrifice of doing in religion and politics what would be scouted as most profligate in any other of the several relations of life, and, after all, effecting nothing—bringing a curse upon the country, by an unprincipled adoption of Popery, and leaving the object for which the profligate measure was proposed as far as ever from being attained. It is much to be wished that our rulers should be brought to see that their real interest lies in doing that which is right, and that they never can bring about any real advantage to the country by substituting short-sighted expediency for principle. They have tried it, and the history of the country will prove that it has been without effect. We could wish to see inscribed as their motto, " Fiat justitia, ruat ccelum ; " and a blessing would follow their honest upholding of right. This we are sure of, that to pay per sons to teach that which those who, proposing to do it, admit to be superstitious and idolatrous, is not right, is not honest, and, therefore, will never draw down a bless ing. We hope the subject may be maturely considered by our rulers : we hope that it may be seriously consi dered by the Christian public. If ever it should be seri ously proposed, we trust that those who love the truth will crowd the house with petitions against it ; and that those in our land who make the political affairs of the country a subject of prayer, may not forget this most im portant subject at a throne of grace.—London paper. M URDER.—A most atrocious murder has been perpe trated in the neighbourhood of Taunton. About three miles from that town is situate a village called Picknay. In one of its few houses resided an old woman named Betty Sealy, who was in the receipt of parochial relief, and above 79 years of age. She was an industrious old creature, and had received presents from "the gentle men" for knitting and other work. Of these, as well as of other monies and several little articles which she pos sessed, she had at different times been robbed. The party or portico, whvcrcr they wcie, knew the time wnen fine took her parish pay, and by some means or other obtained possession of it, and also of small sums of money which Betty had laid by, as she used to say, " to bury her with." It was a great mystery who could take the money, as no one had ever been seen to enter the house by the front door, nor had the premises ever been burglariously bro ken into ; Betty therefore determined to keep on the watch herself, and, in the obstinacy of her age, refused the company of those to whom she communicated her inten tion. On Friday, about noon, in accordance with her andpr ec onc e fastenedr t ed plan the to doorde , t detect , the she thieves, wa s i th s e he ha le h f i t t t e h f e house deieg when she went to take her pay; she took a short walk in the road, it is presumed, and then returned, for she was seen near her house at one o'clock. She must then have gone in, locked the door after her, and hid herself in a sort of coal-house underneath the stairs, for on Saturday evening she was discovered in this place seated on a chair, quite dead, and, from the marks on her throat, there is no question that some inhuman wretch had strangled her. She had her cloak and bonnet on, the latter much hewed, no doubt by the poor creature's struggles ;; and it was found that a bottle of gin, which had been given her by a relative, bad been taken, and there was neither money nor any eatables left in the house. This appeared as strange as the previous occurrences, for the door was locked, and evidently no one had entered through the window. A strict search was therefore instituted, and the attention of the policeman was directed to a door which led into a sort of apartment, which was only sepa rated by a kind of partition from the next house, which bad formerly been part of the same premises, and in which Mary Sealy, the niece of the deceased, resided. On examining more minutely, it was discovered that a portion of the boarding had been removed, or, at least, unfastened and replaced in its former position. A search was then made in this house, and the identical bottle of gin (to which two parties state that they are prepared to swear) was found locked away. Her niece, who had lived there for some time, was then apprehended ; and a young man, named White, whose visits she used to encourage, has also been taken into custody. / 11: of 14 ' sumg 001. L i c erP 1 8tholi cc° ore the te.; . psytr!„ e the of obilren° t ffi (18lt ocl:ire; te th° dor• on o i, :ito 6° 1 0 ,bj too ec goo ,t 4 to ! b , ;ituatil it ov, hroeg s p y t 4 ity 8000, 'reneral, 9 :o rcling l ' ~ ,i , ci; col.' 0' of gn inner' 400, of th e 50 1: 1 bed al e i e d , : ome re sorr, Green , „ thAt P 0 rt e 4e ntlen l- 01 1t1 . the P e 6e i rt, s fri'M !di tna' ollb ag ree ell 138r 0 ' d Eta: . hour , ;I ° 1 1 `'' the r a te " . ort o 6 f 6 4 Ke en ie a i o t , _,r m I ° l '4 O Y iang . us , 100. boo t i o yo" .. ice o sit lett, 1 . 1 a ga. , cv ii to i t ting q 0,, 5 stra n °,o On I 100°01 ;ty, so . ben fra 311 r. best. I h° D m ore. ° 1,1 ed ) opP. d o , io , in the I :5 4 ;tilar ;ball 0 deCid e o :o o 5 the n Pr THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. GENERAL MISCELLANY When the new works are fiaished. Wakefield prison will be one of the largest in the world. _ _ _ New potatoes were selling in Covent-garden Market, on Saturday week, at from 3d. to 6d. per lb. THE TEA TRADE, Dec. 11.—The deliveries last week were larger, being 495,7551 bi. The market continues in a very inanimate state, and barely at previous rates. Lord Brougham has, by the advice of his legal friends, abandoned the' prosecution for libel instituted against the Exilminer. Sir Charles Napier, the gallant hero of Scinde, is on the point of returning to this country, on leave of absence, arising from indisposition. _ _ It is now generally understood that Lieutenant Munro will leave the Royal Horse Guards (Blue), and remain abroad. It is stated confidently by the Morning Post that be will join the Prussian service. • CHILD POISONED BY ITS MOTH Elt.-A woman, named Ann M'Cormick, residing in Manchester, has been committed to the present assizes on a charge of " wilful murder," for poisoning her child, only six weeks old. As a boy at a farm house near Ayton, in Cleveland, was amusing himself a few days ago, with inciter matches, he set fire to a cow-house and haystack, both of which were destroyed. The agricultural world has lost one of its most influen ial members in the person of Mr. George Webb Hall, who died at Sneed-hall, his residence, in Gloucestershire, on the 3d instant. The venerable Lord Lynedoch, one of the brave com panions of the Duke of Wellington in Spain. and who is upwards of ninety years of age, is pronounced by his medical attendants to be in a very precarious state. Mr. J. Murray, the celebrated lecturer on chemistry, states, than the incrustation of steam boilers may certainly be prevented, either by acidulating the water with sul phuric acid, or putting in saw-dust of any kind of wood. The amount subscribed for the National Society, for promoting the education of the poor in the principles of the Established Church throughout England and Wales, has now reached the sum of £132,825. Os. lld. On Monday evening last, a barn, containing unthrashed wheat, was fired on the premises of John Hindley, being part of Hurst Hale farm, near Chat Moss, and on the line of the Liverpool railway. A man named Hayes is in custody on suspicion. QUICK WORK,—On Saturday week a young couple were joined together in matrimony at the parish church at Cirencester. On Sunday, the day following, a child was born, on Monday the child died, and on Tuesday it was buried. MR. MACREADY.—This gentleman concluded a very successful engagement at the National Theatre on Wed nesday evening, the 29th ult. The prices of admission were doubled, and the house was generally well filled. — New York paper. At a privy council held at Windsor Castle, on Wed nesday last, it was ordered that the parliament should be further prorogued from Tuesday, the 19th of December instant, to Thursday, the Ist day of February, 1844, then to meet for the despatch of business. A destructive fire took place on Wednesday evening last, on the premises of Messrs. Harris and Co., soap boilers, Bristol, which were almost wholly destroyed. The fire was fortunately prevented from spreading to the adjoining buildings. THE ARMY.—It is reported that some difference has taken place in the military branch of the Ordnance, and that it is to be removed to the Commander-in-chief s office. This has been long recommended, and will operate as a ge neral good to the service and public.—Morning Post. Elizabeth Hammond, a married woman, was indicted at the Chelmsford assizes on Monday, for the wilful mur der of her infant child, three weeks old, by nearly saver ing its head from the body with a razor. The jury found the poor woman insane. ROBBERY.—A wrought iron box containing about £l2O, was stolen last week from the dressing-room in the man sion of Earl Beauchamp, near Malvern, Worcestershire, under circumstances that lead to suspicion against some of the domestics. EARL GREY.--From accounts received from Howick Hall, Northumberland, we learn that the venerable earl continued in the same state on Saturday as on the previ ous day, and that there existed no apprehension of a change for the worse, although a relapse might take place within a few hours. The British whaling ship Sarah and Elizabeth was cap tured and destroyed by pirates in May last, in Coffin's Bay. and three of the crew are supposed to have been massacred. The cargo, consisting of 850 barrels of sperm oil, was worth £8,500. The total loss with the ship is calculated at about £12,000, and the owner is not insured. ANOTHER PROSECUTION FOR BLASPHEMY. — We un derstand that Miss Roalf, a young lady wbo some weeks ago opened a shop in Nicolson-street for the sale of irre ligious publications, was apprehended on Monday last, and lodged in jail preparatory to her trial for blasphemy.— Edinburgh Courant. SMITHFIELD CLUB.—The annual cattle show of stock, oxen, sheep, and pigs, is this year better than on any for mer occasion. A horse was exhibited at the above show which had more the appearance of an elephant. It stood 19 hands high ! Some very handsome pigs were shown by Prince Albert, in his capacity of " British farmer." THE RESULT OF A PRIZE FIGHT.-It will be recol lected that a fight took place in Banwell-marsh, when John Foster, one of the parties, was killed, and Sylves ter Williams, the survivor, was committed to the county gaol. Williams, who was ill at the time of his committal, died in prison on Tuesday last.—Bath Journal. THE ATTEMPT TO POISON A FAMILY.—Joseph •Taylor, the young man mentioned in our last as being re manded on a charge of attempting to poison his sisters, at Prestwich, was again brought up at the Salford Town ball, on Tuesday morning, and was fully committed to take his trial at the present Liverpool assizes. LIGHTING KNUTSFORD WITH GAS.—The poll, which was demanded at a late meeting of the inhabitants of Knutsford, took place in the Court-room, on Thursday week, and terminated in favour of the measure; the num bers being, for lighting the town with gas, 138 ; against it, 59; majority in favour of the proposition, 79. AFFGHAN SHEEP.—Four of the native breed of sheep from Affghanistan have been lately brought to this coun try. They were presented to Sir 031 in Mackenzie, of Kilcoy, Bart. The Instaliff sheep are singu ar looking animals, with pendulous ears, mop-shaped tails, and silky wool.—lnvernees Courier. FRAUDULENT TRANSFER OF STOCK.—OR Siturday Mr. Barber, of the firm of Barber and Bircham, solicitors, of London, and Joshua Fletcher, underwent another long examination before the Lord Mayoi, on the charge of obtaining a transfer of £3,500 in the Government Fu•lds by means of a forged will, as mentioned in our last. The prisoners were again remanded. We have been given to understand that many persons labour under the misapprehension that light sovereigns will not be payable or receivable at the bank after the Ist of January next. This is a mistake ; of course they will —subject to the proper deductions arising from wear and tear—be as current as far as their weight is concerned as ever. THE POOR•LAW COMMISSIONERS AND THE OXFORD BOARD OF GUARDIANS.—At a special meeting of the Oxford Board on Thursday last it was resolved, by a ma jority of 17 to 4, " to resist the interference of the Poor. Law Commissioners by every legal means, so as to bring the subject before the Queen's Bench, and obtain their decision upon it." A most desperate encounter took place on Thursday week, between two gamekeepers of Sir G. Musgrave, Bart., of Eden Hall, Cumberland, and two poachers. The gamekeepers were severely injured, but they ulti mately got assistance, and the poachers were secured, and they have been committed for trial. One of the keepers may not recover. The Board of Customs have decided by a recent order, that " Price Currents," printed abroad in the English language, should be charged with the duty of fourpence. halfpenny per lb. as " paper not otherwise enumerated," and if the parcel does not exceed one pound in weight, to be delivered free of duty. A similar rate of duty has been ordered to be charged on " Bills of Lading," printed abroad in the English language. BRISTOL SUGAR MARXICT, Dec. 15.—We have expe rienced an improved demand for all descriptions of raw sugar this week, and the sales, which amount to about 550 hogsheads West India, have been at rather better prices than were previously obtainable; and the market closed with much firmness. In East India and Mauritius the transactions are unimportant. Average price of Sugar, Dec. 12, is 325. 6fd per cwt. LORD WILLIAM PAGET AND THE EARL OF CARDI GAN.—The above cause, which was specially fixed for trial as yesterday, and for which the jury has been sum moned for upwards of a week back, is now postponed until Friday next. The damages are laid at £15,000, and the plaintiff's case will be conducted by Sir Thos. Wilde, Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, and Mr. Wordsworth ; while the Earl of Cardigan will be represented by the Solicitor- General, Mr. Sergeant Channell, and Mr. Peacock. ONE HUNDRED SHEEP DESTROYED BY FIRE.—.OI3 Sunday week a destructive fire broke out at a farm in Foulness Island, Essex, occupied by Mr. C. Harvey, and in an incredibly short time destroyed a sheep yard, (the walls of which were composed of mustard and carraway straw,) one hundred ewe sheep, all in lamb, and a large bean stack, the produce of forty acres adjoining. The value of the property is £5OO. A man named Rampling has been committed for trial on suspicion of having caused the fire. We regret to state, that the measles and small-pox have visited this neighbourhood, especially Barnwell, with ter rible effect. Upwards of 100 children have died of the measles in one parish ; some families have been left quite childless. Of the small-pox, in some houses in Barnwell all the inmates are " down," as it is called, with it. One poor woman has six children sill at this time with this dreadful disease. The ravages: of these complaints, as might be expected, are confined principally to the poorer classes. —Cambridge Advertiser. OPERATIONS OF THE LEAGUE IN THE COUNTRY.— During the last week league meetings were held at Leeds, Halifax, Holmfirth, &c., at which Mr. Cobden, Mr. Bright, Col. Thompson, and Mr. Ashworth of Bolton, figured as stars; but there was no new feature in the speeches. The Leeds contributions amount to about £2,500. The Messrs. Marshall, flax-spinners, gave £5OO, and John Marshall, Esq., senior partner, subscribed £3OO on his own personal account—pretty well for poor manu• facturers, who are borne down to the earth by the oppres sive corn laws. The Halifax contribution approaches £2,000. The Liverpool quota to the league fund is upwards of £5,650. THE DURHAM COLLIERS' DISPUTE.--In this case, which we noticed in our last, the magistrates unanimously decided that the three men now ircustody for a breach of the bondin refusing to work, had acted illegally, and sen tenced them to six week's imprisonment. From 300 to 400 of the men were in court and appeared very much dis satisfied with the result. A case of monstrous barbarity, at the Birmingham Workhouse, has been the subject of official inquiry. It appears to have been the custom of the master , aucz matron to confine refractory parties for several days together in a kind of blackhole, a dark and most filthy receptacle. In this horrible place four youths, who had destroyed their clothes, were confined in a state of nudity, and without anything to lie upon but the bare boards, for eight or ten days. The case has excited much indignation. FATAL AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.—On Thursday week a desperate affray took place between the game keepers of John Aspinall, Esq., of Little Mitton Hall, not far from Blackburn, and a gang of about twenty poachers, in which John Scholfield, the heed gamekeeper, was wounded and afterwards so severely beaten that he died on Tuesday last. A reward of £lOO has been offered for the conviction of the offenders, who being so much superior to their opponents in number escaped during the affray. CURIOUS ACCIDENT.—On WednesdAy last a man was admitted into our Infirmary, labouring under rather severe injuries, both his ears being cleanly cut off close to his head; his jaw also was fractured, and his finger lacerated. The patient asserted that the injuries were caused by a cart wheel, he having fallen from the vehicle. [low the two ears were taken off by one wheel is certainly inexpli cable, but the man persists in his statement. Rumour ascribes the mutilation to various causes—amongst others, that a jealous lady was at the bottom of the affair.—Bris tol Times. A good deal of scandal has been occasioned at Stam ford by the presence of a young Frenchwoman, calling herself Madame Miard, who has endeavoured to extort money from the Rev. Herbert Marsh, rector of Barnack, and eldest son of the Bishop of Peterborough, on the pre text of an immoral connexion between them in Paris and in London, and of certain consequences of such connexion falsely and slanderously alleged by her. The affair is likely to come before a higher tribun I (Lincoln assizes), the rev. gentleman having instituted legal proceedings for a conspiracy. LITHOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS.—An artist of very con siderable talent has lately been introduced into this coun try under the patronage of King Leopold. His name is Bauquiet, and the novelty of his mode of taking portraits lit is this :—H yys them at once on a stone prepared for lithographi ing, and the impressions are at once made from *ginal drawing upon paper. By this means any n who has his iportrait taken by M. Bauquet can have 500, or more, impressions taken of the original, and merely for the expense of the paper and printing multiply the picture, and oblige his friends and acquaintance with a likeness. NOVEL STEAM-SHIP.—A steam-ship, to be named the Janus, has been laid down at Woolwich, and is being pushed forward with unusual activity. Her length be tween the perpendiculars is 180 feet, and her extreme breadth 29 feet 4 inches. She is to be constructed on a novel plan. The stem and stern are to be exactly alike, and a rudder is to be fitted to each, so that she will be enabled to reverse her course without turning, and she is also to have bowsprits at both stem and stern. It is ex pected that she will be ready for launching about Christ mas. She is on the suggestion of the Earl of Dundonald, and is to be fitted with a rotatory engine. ANOTHER ACCIDENT FROM FIRE-ARMS.-7-On Satur day last, M r. Crump, who occupies a farm tear Eversham, callen Mount Platsant, fetched his gun, which was loaded, down stairs for the purpose of shooting rooks, on his farm. In the kitchen he encountered his eldest child, a girl about five years of age; and while attending to her infantine talk, lodged the gun against the wall, to which another child, unable to walk, crawled and threw it down ; the concussion caused it to explode, and the con tents were unhappily lodged in the shoulder of the little girl, who died from the injury in about a quarter of an hour after the accident.— Worcester Journal. CHRISTMAS DINNERS.—An experienced salesman in Leadenhall-market, estimates the number of goose clubs in different parts of the metropolis, with members vary ing in number from 30 to 100, by which upwards of 10,000 persons are each provided with good Christmas cheer, who would not have otherwise tasted this luxury. These clubs are held at the houses of licensed victuallers, and by the payment of Gd. per week, for some weeks previous to Christmas, each member is entitled to the choice of a goose and to a bottle of spirits. To meet this extra demand in the poultry market, very extensive importations take place from the Continent, and parti cularly from Hamburg and Ostend. THE RISING GIENEENTION,-011 the election of Mr. Butcher, jun., to the office of mayor for the borough of Devizes, the boys belonging to the Bear Club School were invited by the Rev. E. J. Phipp, the rector to celebrate the election. Some of the boys were pledged teetotallers, and refused to drink his worship's health in beer, saying they could drink it equally well in water, The rector, who is opposed to total abstinence, insisted on the boys drinking the beer, and said he would have none of that trumpery teetotalism there, and if they did not drink it, he would have them turned out of the school. Some of the boys were " true to their principles," and steadfastly refused. - Wiltshire Independent. MEETING OF THE COLLIERS.—On Wednesday last, according to previous announcement, a public meeting of the colliers in the St. Helens district was held on the Moor Flat, St. Helens, at one o'clock. About three hundred persons, principally colliers, attended, and the proceedings were condwlted in the most orderly manner.. Mr. John West was unanimously called upon to take the chair, and briefly introduced the business of the day. Mr. Wm. Dickson, of Manchester, then addressed the meeting at great length, and with much ability and tact. At the conclusion of his speech, three cheers were given for him, which he briefly acknowledged, and the meeting then separated. ASHTON-UNDER- LyNE.—The turn-out still continues, and the numbers who have left the mills have been aug mented from 6800 to 14,000. All the weavers at Staly bridge have " struck" for an advance of wages. It is an extraordinary fact that the parties whose hands have turned not on this occasion are the identical cotton-lord Leaguers with whom the turn-out of August, 1841, commenced, the Messrs. Bayley, of Stalybridge, and Messrs. Reyner, of Ashton. At a meeting of the operatives held on Mon day, on Thacker's groand, a deputation was appointed to wait on the Messrs. Reyner, for the purpose of settling, if possible, the differences between them and the weavers. From a placard which has been posted, it would appear that the weavers are already almost starved into submis sion.—Leeds paper. THE LEVEN SMUGGLING CASE.—At a justice of Peace Court held at Kirkaldy on the 29th ult.. Joan Rogers or Gourlay, residing in Leven, wife of Robert Gourlay, shipmaster, residing there, was charged under the act 3d and 4th William IV., Cap. 63, with knowingly keeping and concealing 12001bs. weight of tobacco, liable to the payment of duties of customs, &c. The c t harge was found proven, and the panne' found liable in the pay ment of £lOO, mitigated to £25, or six months imprison ment in Kirkaldy Jail. Ann M'Conneli or Adamson, wife of Stuart Adamson, seaman, Leven, charged with having Ribs. weight, and David Thomson, charged with having 431135. in their possession under similar circum stances, were found liable in the same penalty. CRUEL FREAK!—One of the most cruel and malicious acts we ever remember has recently been committed in Newport Pagnell. Last week n party of men were as sembled in the tap-room of the Three Cranes, and with them was John Green, a poor deformed, diminutive object, who it appears had hitherto excited their sport and hilarity in various ways. A man, whose name we learn is Pield ing, a horse-breaker, in the heat of drunken mirth, after saturating tho hair of Green's head with naphtha, placed a candle to it, and completely burned the hair, with the skin, from his head. It is doubtful if Green will ulti mately recover the injury thus received, and if he eo s, it is more than probable that he will lose his sight. Yield ing, however, was so far cognizant of his actions that he escaped, leaving his victim to the cruel mercy of his drunken companions. We have not yet heard that Pield ing has been apprehended.—Bedford Mercury. CUSTOMS ORDER —By an order in Council, dated 2d October last, it is ordered, that upon the following articles imported into the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, there shall be levied upon the entry thereof for consumption the following Customs duties :—Meal: Salted or cured, of all sorts, not being the production or manufacture of the United Kingdom, or of any British possession, 3s. the cwt. Salted or cured, of all sorts, being the production or manufacture of the United Kingdom, or bf any British possession, Is. 3d. the cwt.—Oil: Train and blubber, the produce of fish or creatures living in the sea, of foreign -5' the tin (imneriAl foreign fishing, £7 10s. the tun (imperial measure). — Fish: Dried or salted, and fins and skins, the produce of creatures living in the sea, of foreign fishing or taking, for every £lOO of the value thereof, £l2. ' 4 MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT.—On the 26th ult. at Ouchan village, Isle of Man, a youth, between fifteen and sixteen years of age, who was on a visit from England to his re latives, had been amusing himself in the fields, shooting birds. On his return, his cousin, Miss Livingston, re monstrated with him, and attempted to prevent his en tering the sitting-room with his dirty shoes; some little banter ensued between them, and the youth, pointing the gun, said, in a playful humour, that he would shoot her if she persisted. At that moment his elbow came in con tact with the door, and, by some accident, the gun was discharged. The contents lodged in the head of the un fortunate young lady, and produced extravasation of blcod on the brain, of which she died after lingering ten days. The young man and the deceased were on the most friendly terms. REDUCTION OF TAXATION.—By a parliamentary re turn of last session, a statement has been given of the total amount of taxation reduced or repealed in Great Britain since the Ist of January, 1814, which amount was computed on the average prodnce of each tax, during the five years next preceding its partial or total repeal. The amount of the several sums is given in the return, and the aggregate of the period. In Great Britain, the reduction, or the repeal of taxes, amounted to £45,549,683 ; the amount in Ireland was £2,416,981 ; and in Scotland. £48.110,824—fr0m 1814 to the year 1842. The several branches are then given in distinct statements, namely, the Customs, Excise, Stamps, Taxes, and the Post-office. The amount reduced in the Customs, in the period speci fied, was in the United Kingdom, £11,436,635; hi the Excise, £747,200 ; in the Stamps, £1,150.06 ; in the Taxes, £614,734 ; and in the Post-office the a:::;aal esti mate for the year 1840 was £1,240,000. Theio, is a re• markable circumstance in the Post-office return ; the re duction in 1839 was only £160; and in 1840, when the alteration was in part eiteeted, it was £1,240,000. The return is dated in August last. LIVERPOOL DECEMBER SESSIONS. These sessions commenced on Wednesday last, before Gilbert Henderson, Esq., Recorder. The calendar con tains about the average number of prisoners, there being sixty-seven for felony, and six for misdemeanours and assaults. Of this number fourteen can neither read nor write. thirty-three can read and write imperfectly two can read imperfectly, two can read and write well, and four can read and write in a superior manner. The usual routine business of the Court having been gone through the following gentlemen were sworn on the Grand Jury : Maximilian Fischer, Harrington-street, merchant; Thomas Bouch, Oldhall-street, merchant Henry Booth, Bedford-street South, gentleman; John Bibby, Duke's-place, merchant ; Thomas Oldfield Cooper, Rodney-street, merchant ; Robert Dirom, Rumford-street, merchant ; John Deakin, Leeds-street, coal-merchant; John Fox, Water -street, wine merchant ; . Isaac Fletcher, Irvine -street. wine merchant ; - John Finch, the younger, Park-street, iron -merchant; George Highfield, Royal Bank-buildings, ship-broker; John Hore, George's Dock Gates. merchant ; Michael Humble, Qu-en's Dock, ship-builder; Henry Itibton Hoskins, Catherine -street, merchant; Robert Hutchison, Grove -street, merchant; John Job, the younger, Fownall-street, merchant; George Kendall, Rodney-street, merchant; John Leyland, Queen Anne-street, merchant, Edward Tennant, Cook -street, merchant; John Walker, Exchange-buildings, merchant. The Grand Jury having been sworn, the Recorder ad dressed them at some length, pointing out to them the precise nature of some of their duties, and the vigilance they should exercise in the finding of the several bills. The derails of most of the cases have been presented in our police reports, and no features of novelty or interest were developed in the course of the trials. The following are the results of the more important cases :—George Pearson, for embezzling a large sum of money belonging to his employers, Messrs. T. & J. Mellor, was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment and hard labour; George Waistle, for embezzling money belonging to his employer, Mr. Wilfred Troutbeck, six weeks' imprisonment and hard labour, the last fortnight solitary; Thomas Armson, for embezzling money belonging to his employers, J. Mellor arid Co., eighteen months' imprisonment and hard. labour; James Croft, for stealing seven shawls, the pro perty of Henry O'Leary, seven years' transportation. The trial of Betsy Craig, for various impositions on the benevolent, by means of a forged certificate, purporting to have been signed by the Mayor of Cork, took place on Saturday, when she was sentenced to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for twelve months. STEAM-SHIP CALEDONIA. The splendid Steam-ship Caledonia, Captain Lott, which sailed from this port on the 4th ultimo, for Halifax and Boston, and reached the latter port on the 20th, ar rived here at five o'clock on Thursday morning last. She left Boston on the Ist and Halifax on the 3d instant, and made the passage across the Atlantic in ten days. We learn, by an abstract of the log, that she encountered strong gales and heavy seas on the 7th, Bth, and 9th, and 10th instant, and that at eleven a.m., on Wednesday, she spoke the schooner Isabel, four days from this port far Africa, off Waterford. She brought 31 passengers, of whom we subjoin a list : LIST OF PASSENGERS From Boston for Halifax.—Messrs. J. S. Baker and Mr. S H. Harrington. From Boston to Liverpool.—Messrs. A. Bridge, J. Bridge, W. M. Bliss, A. A. Armour, Patterson, Moffat, A. Lewis, F. Robinson, E. Phillips, John Falconer, Alexander Gillespie, Alexander Ewing, F. Butterfield, James Fisher, James Frost, D. Bruce, A. Cuvillier, J. E. Grotian, J. A. Perrie, J. R. Clay, Samuel Aaron, C. E. Levey, Henry Chapman, R. Patterson, A. Isleline, S. L. Burritt, and James Jackson. From Halifax to Liverpool.—Messrs. Robert Morrow, J. G. W. Cleary, and D. D. Steuart. Total, 33. SHIP SHEFFIELD.—This ship has been discharged of all her cargo, with the exception of part of her coal. She was put on the screw dock, and found not to be so much injured as was apprehended. Her seams were quite open ; the false keel and part of the main keel were somewhat damaged, and the former would have to be replaced by a new one. We understand she was sold by auction, at New York, for 4100 dollars. The total cost of building a fine packet-ship, at the present time, is 75,000 dollars. MR. SANDS AND THE TOWN DUES.—A well-informed correspondent of ours, having seen the name of the late Mr. Tooth allnded to in connexion with this subject, says —" He was considered the first Custom-house clerk of his day—a man of no common ability. I knew him sell, living in the same quarters with him. I perfectly remem ber the subject of the town dues as then discussed, and my friend, who had a forcible way of arguing, generally posed his antagonist. Once upon a time a younker ob served, 0, 1 know what a case and what a box mean well enough —one is large, and the other small ! ' In deed ! ' said Mr. T., ' what is this—a toothpick box?' 'No ; that's a case.' Then what is this—a tobacco case?' No; that is a box.' What is this?' Why, it's a card case.' And this ?" It is a hat. box.' So you see you do not know, or, like the Collector, you can not define.' "—Courier. FREEMASONRY.—We understand that at the recent Provincial Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, held in this town, a vote of thanks was unanimously passed to Brother John Molineux, sen., for the great services which he has, for several years, rendered to the province in his official capacities of Grand Organist and Grand Director of Ceremonies, and for the deep interest which he has invariably evinced for the benefit of the craft in genera.. The vote which appeared to be most warmly received by the brethren, was ordered to be engrossed on vellum, signed by the Provincial Grand Secretary, and transmitted to Brother Molineux. We are pleased that this compliment has been paid to a worthy, active, and zealous mason. It shows the great respect in which he is held by the craft, and that they duly appreciate his high merits and acquirement. It will be an incentive to the younger brethren to endeavour to follow in his footsteps. Docx COMMITTEE, THURSDAY. Present, Messrs. Moore, Barclay, Holt, Holmes, Middleton, Chilton, Smith, Molyneux. Nicol, Bulley, Evans, Royden, Tobin, Bold, Trotman, Ripley, Aikin, and Shand. A letter was read from the solicitor, stating that in consequence of indisposition he had been unable to consider his opinion as to the power of the Town Council to confirm or annul the proceedings of the Dock Committee by a simple ma jority ; and he expected to be ready with it next week. A letter was read from the north harbour master, stating that, in consequence of the crowded state of the docks, it would be impossible to let any of the north docks dry during the present springs. A letter was read from Mr. George Kendall, chairman of the Shipowners' Associa tion, calling the attention of the committee to the diffe rential rate of dock dues, and recommending a uniform rate of ls. 6d. Mr. Bold (seconded by Mr. Tobin) moved the appointment of a sub-comm:itee, to take into consideration the subject of differential rates on tonnage. Mr. Aikin (seconded by Mr. Shand) proposed the ap pointment of a sub-committee to take into consideration the dock and light dues on tonnage and on goods, and to report. Some conversation took place, but the speakers generally spoke in so low a tone that nothing connected could be heat dat the reporters' table. Ultimately a di vision took place, when the amendment was carried by a majority of 12 to 6. Messrs. Molyneux, Aikin, Nicol, Shand, Chilton, and Bold were then appointed, and the committee adjourned. ANOTHER ACCIDENT AT GEORGE'S PIER.—A gentle man, who is well-known in this vicinity, crossed the river, on Tuesday last, by the five o'clock boat from Woodside. The passengers were very numerous. When the boat reached George's Pier, there was another steamer be ween her and the steps, and over this it was necessary to land. The gentleman waited patiently till the bulk of the pas sengers had gore ashore. He then went to the gangway, and, there being no plank out, though it was entirely dark, he made a stride, as be thought, to the deck of the ad joining packet, but, unfortunately, he stepped short, and, after striking his head a violent blow against the gunwale, which for a moment bereft him of consciousness, he drop ped into the river and sank. The coldness of the water revived him, but, being unable to swim, he felt strongly impressed with the imminent peril of his situation. He fought his way to the surface, however, and found himself just beneath the shelving ledge of the packet, from which the tide was rapidly drifting him. He was enabled to grasp one of the projections, and presently he was sensi ble that a hand was extended towards him, but he was weak and almost breathless in consequence of the sudden immersion, and, probably, he had scarcely recovered from the effects of the blow. He, however, clutched the hand, and heard a welcome voice desiring him so hold on till scutleicil. lie informed the person above him that: he was too weak to hold on long. Hereupon, another man stretched forth his arm and con trived to grasp the gentleman's apparel, and, further as sistance having been procured, he was dragged from the water, sincerely thankful for his providential rescue. Something should be done by the corporation in the way of providing better landing places. CAUTION TO HOUSEKEEPERS AND SERVANTS.—On Tuesday last a youth, about sixteen years old, who wore an apron and had a pair of Wellington boots in his hand, called at the house of a gentleman, and told the servant that he had been sent for some boots which needed repair. " Are you from Eden and Clarke's ?" asked the girl. " Yes," replied the youth. The girl called the master of the house who happened to be at home, and he asked the youth his business. " I have come from Eden's for some boots to be repaired," was the reply. " I did not give any order to your master to send for any boots to be repaired," said the gentleman. " Oh." continued he, "it must be the new boots that were to be returned and exchanged for a larger pair perhaps you were directed to call for a pair of new boots." " Perhaps it was new boots," coolly re plied the youth. The gentleman hereupon demanded an grily why the new boots in question had not been sent to Messrs. Eden and Clarke's shop according to his direction. One of the servants declared that the order bad been com plied with and the boots punctually delivered. " There must be some mistake," said the gentleman, " I'll call at Messrs. Eden's to-morrow." " Very well, sir," said the youth, and he departed. On the following day the gen tleman called at the shop of Messrs. Eden and Clarke, and ascertained tbat no such message had been sent, and learned further, that many persons had recently been tricked out of boots and shoes by such ingenious practi tioners as the youth above alluded to. The Mercury gives the following :—" Some practised youth called at the house of Mr. Tronson, Everton-brow, on Saturday last, and asked for some boots or shoes of Mr. T.'s, mentioning that he had been sent by Messrs. Webster. Ile succeeded obtaining three (younz ladies') new shoes, that is, a pair and a half. No such person was sent by Nir. W. All the shoes were stamped at she bottom with a small w."