The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-23 00:00:00

FOREIGN 4- COLONIAL IN7ELLIGENCE. WESI' INDIES. The Medway steamer, from the West Indies, arrived on Saturday. The dates are—Jamaica, Dec. 24 ; Barba does, Dec. 26 ; Trinidad, Dec. 19 ; and Demerara, Dec. 21. _ The House of Assembly at Jamaica had been prorogued to the 6th of February, in consequence of the Christmas holydays, and few bilk of importance had now to pass the Legislature. In this island the weather was not consi dered altogether favourable for agriculture. The question of a reduction of the sugar duties continued to agitate the merchant and planting interest. From Trinidad and Bar badoes there is very little news. In the former island the small-pox had made its appearance, but the progress of the disease was not alarming. The Demerara papers contain no political intelligence of importance. "Of the prospect,• of the crop," says the Guiana Times, it is dangerous to write positively. The weather to such estates as have completed this year's har vest is very favourable, the sunshine alternating with genial rains. We believe that all over the country the estates are in better order than they have bee❑ any year since 1839. This promises well for the future. but large arrears are to be made up. Throughout the length and breadth of the land there is not a single agricultural so ciety. Some planters hope much from Singapore, for getting that more used to be hoped from Sierra Leone. Others are sensible, that if the Chinese adhere to their indentures, only a few capitalists will be immediately benefited; if they do not, the❑ the colony will have to pay an enormous sum for the cost of their introduction. As an experiment, it may be well that the measure, strange although it is, should have a fair trial." • The papers from Dominica and St. Vincent's refor to Ebocks of earthquake experienced there, which fortunately, however, had been attended with no further ill effect than the alarm all such phenomena are sure to occasion. AN IRON CHURCII.—The commune of Hornu, near Brussels, has determined o❑ erecting a church which will have its interior enti:ely of iron. By a late decree of the Queen of Spain, her mother's pension is to be restored, which, together with arrears, will amount to £lOO,OOO. Such a sum was worth a little intrigue. Two gentlemen, members of the episcopal Church, in America, have pledged themselves to support three cleri cal missionaries in China for a term of years. They have engaged to give 3,000 dollars annually for this important purpose.— Globe. The Rev. Mr. Milne, of the London Missionary So ciety, has performed the journey overland from Ningpo to Canton, a distance of 1,300 miles, in 39 days. He was dressed as, and passed of course for, a Chinaman. He represents many parts of country as extremely beautiful, but others as of large extent, barren, and thinly peopled. THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA.—A bankrupt merchant of Warsaw has confessed that he was the person who fired the musket shot, recently, at the Emperor, and that he was engaged to deprive the Prince of life by two great personages, (one in the department of the Finances and the other in the Post-office,) who took advantage of his misfortunes. THE KING OF HANovER.—We learn from a source on which reliance may be placed, that there was not the slightest foundation for a s t a t emen t ori g inating in one of the German journals, asserting that the King of Hanover had specially invited the Duke of Bordeaux to the Court of Hanover. We are also informed that the King of Hanover positively comes to Engiand at the close of March, and it is supposed will prolong his sojourn here till August. FRENCH FINANCES.—The budget presented by the Minister of Finance to the French Chamber is of a cha racter which may extend confidence and hope beyond the confines of the French territory. Three years of a pro found tranquillity have brought with them increased wealth, a flourishing commerce, and an income which already more than bAances the expenditure of the nation. The surplus of the revenue for 1815 is calculated to be not much less than 1,000,000 f., and the whole income of the treasury for that year to exceed the income for 1844 by upwards of 28,000,000 f. THE LATE EARTHQUAKE IN THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. is remarkable that the men working, when this phe nomenon happened, in the mines of the Island of Sark, more than four hundred feet beneath the surface, neither beard any noise, nor felt the least motion of the earth around them, although the effects above ground were of a very alarming character. The person engaged in the steam whim house, observed the machinery shaking most violently, and he thought the boiler had burst, the shock being so tremendously awful. At Cherbourg the houses were much shaken, and the furniture displaced, and many articles were thrown down. No personal injury, however, attended the concussion.—Globe. FISCAL SEVERITY IN FRANCE.—The Baron Descha pelles, the celebrated chess player, was tried on Tuesday, before the Court of Correctional Police of Paris, for hav ing in his possession a quantity of snuff and about 20 cigars. The Baron admitted that the tobacco and snuff seized were of foreign manufacture, but declared that he had imported them from England by permission of the Commissioners of Excise, to whom he had paid the legal duty. " I," said the Baron, "an ancient Commissioner of Excise, never would have entertained the idea of de frauding the revenue. I beg to observe, that I consume 1,500 f. worth of tobacco in the year, and that what was seized was worth but lf. 50c. The idea is absurd." The Baron was acquitted. COLONELS STODDART AND CONO . LLY.—The last ac counts from Or. Wolff 1 0 Ine 4 ° 1 " 3.-T -sember, on • Jett reDizoncl TOE Erzgeroum. tie nab experienced the greatest kindness during the whole of his I route. A letter has been received from Lieutenant Eyre, dated Camp Kurnaul, November 16, which states that the wan Barenstein, who said that he had witnessed the exe cution of Stoddart and Connolly, had been proved to be an impostor. Lieutenant Eyre states that an Affghan had arrived at Hyderabad from Bokhara, who left Stoddart alive and at liberty. He could easily escape if he had but the will. The Affghan says that " Stoddart has scruples about escaping without an order from the English Govern ment, being a man of exceedingly strict notions of duty." Lieutenant Eyre relies upon this intelligence, having seen I authentic documents. A MAN OF BUSINESS.—There died lately at Colmar, in the Haut Rhin, an Israelite, at the age of 98 years, leaving an immense fortune. This he accumulated by buying and selling land, by purchasing reversions, and by granting loans of money at usurious interest. He. was blind for the last 20 years of his life, and yet examined personally all the property he purchased before he conclud ed the bargain, which he took care should be a good one for himself. When land was the object, he went over every part of it, and when a house was offered to him, he visited every room from top to bottom, running his hands over all that he could touch, and making his guide give him the details of such parts as he could not reach. He had, it is affirmed, between 6,000 and 7,000 persons who owed him money, and whenever it was required to settle an account with any one of these, his numerous debtors, he immediately gave, from memory, an accurate statement of every item, principal and interest, dates and circumstances, being, in fact, a living journal and ledger. —Galignani's Messenger. THE CORN TRADE.—The Journal de Agriculture states, that although the wheat crop of last year in the Borth of Germany is inferior in quality to that of the preceding year, the price is firm in the ports of the Baltic, in consequence of an expectation that the English would require a supply to provide for the deficiency of their last harvest. The merchants of Marseilles are impressed with the same feeling as those of the Dantzic, and hope that the English may be obliged to have recourse to them ; and in order to meet their demands a vast quantity of wheat imported from the Black Sea is stored at Marseilles. The Moniteur publishes the monthly returns of the corn trade in France, from which it appears that in November last the importation was—wheat, 7,841 metrical quintals ; other grain, 4,874 ; flour, 16 ; the exportation—wheat, 10,080 metrical quintals ; other grain, 7,831; flour, 4,177 ; the quantity lying in the public bonding-stores, on the Ist of December last—wheat, 37,202 metrical quintals; other grain, 9,521 ; flour, 10,586. The imports, during the 11 months ending on the Ist of December, amounted— wheat, to 1,449,579 metrical quintals; other grain ,139,114 ; flour, 3,224; the exports—wheat, 58,175; other grain, 78,550; flour, 29,095. A PRACTICAL JOKE.—The following adventure is re lated by the Gazette des Tribunaux to have occurred on Friday morning in the Tribunal de Premiere Instance M. N—, a dramatic author, and formerly manager of a theatre on the Boulevard, went to the Palace de Justice on some cause connected with that management. He was accompanied by an old friend and associate, M. C While waiting in the court, M. C- observed that the pocket of his companion's peacoat gaped so wide that his gold snuffbox and purse were exposed to any adven turer. To give him a lesson, M. C took both box and purse, and deposited them more securely, as he thought, in his own pocket. After the lapse of half an hour, M. N— had a craving for a pinch of snuff, but found a vacuum where he hoped to meet with a supply. On the proclamation of the loss, with no small degree of vexation, M. C— offered to give him a pinch, and presented to him his own box, together with the purse. The contents of the box were undiminished, but the purse was void of 37f. that were in it when they entered the court. The fact was that the money was still there when M. C— took the purse, but some adroit pickpocket had abstracted it from his possession, emptied it of its contents, and then given back to M. C the empty purse." - - MANUFACTURING DISTRESS IN FRANCE.—The Na tional publishes the following letter, signed by a number of manufacturers of Cambrai : "TO THE EDITOR OF THE NATIONAL. ' " As the minister has not feared to affirm that com merce is in a prosperous condition, and as a controversy may be raised on this assertion, we send you some infor mation relative to the position of our arrondissement, the most considerable in the department of the north. " Never since 1815 were commercial affairs in a worse position. "The trade in cambrics is completely null. " A crisis exists amongst the cotton and woollen manu facturers. The operative weavers can only earn from 10 to 15 sous a day. " The oil trade, which formed the most important branch of commerce in the arondissement, is so com pletely paralysed, that a mill which some time since cost 100,000 f. would not sell for 20,000 f. " The value of Louse property has fallen 40 per cent., and what is worse, landed property has fallen 33 per cent. "There is in fact but one trade in a prosperous condi tion. and that is the trade of a banker who discounts at 7 and S per cent. " We defy the government to contradict a single one of our assertions, and we are ready to prove what we advance. " We authorise you to publish this letter. "Jan. 9." (Here follow the signatures.) UNIVERSITY AID CLARICAL N.F;IVS. OXFORD.-N 1 ONDAY. At a congregation holden this mornin g , b e i ng t h e first day of term, the following degrees were.conferred : MASTERS OF ARTS.—Thomas Green and Hugh Pigot, Brasenose College; Robert Walke r , Lincoln College; William Hungerford Colson, S.C.L., Fellow of New College ; Rev. Arthur Mozley, Oriel College ; Wm. Gill, Exeter College. BACHELOR OF ARTS.—William E. Dickson Carter, Fellow of New College ; Thomas J. Brereton, Christ Church; William Boyde, New Inn Hal CAMIIRIDGC, Jan. 19.—The list of Mathematical Tri pos is just published, b y w hi ch it a pp ears that G. \V. Hemming, of St. Joh n ' s i s t h e Senior Wrangler ; Second Wrangler, NV. B. Hopkins, of Caius; the first Senior Optime, C. Hardwick, of St. Katherine's; first two Junior Optimes, G. F. Snowball, o f St . J o h n ' s. equal, R. E. Rob er t s on, of Caius, and CONSECRATION OF CHRIST CHURCH, DERBY.—On Tuesday last, this imposing ceremony was performed by the Lord Bishop of Lichfield, and derived an additional interest from the fact, that this is the first time the Right Rev. Prelate (Dr. Lonsdale) has assisted at the solemn dedicati on o f a b u ildi ng to the service o f Almighty God, since his promotion to the Episcopal chair. Upwards of 50 clergymen laity. were present, besides a large number of the CITELTENHAM.—The Rev. Alexander Watson, has issued an address to his congregation, in which he says : " That you may form some idea of what may be done by congregation, if only all its members would do accord ing to their power as almoners of an Almighty Father's bounty, I may mention that those who worship in this sanctuary, have, during the past year, contributed for our own schools, and the general purposes of the church (over and above their gifts to other local objects), the sum of £684. 3s. 7. CHURCH EXTENSION.—A. meeting of the Incorporated Society for Promoting the Enlargement, &c. of Churches and Chapels was held on Monday week. His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury was in the chsir. The meeting proceeded to examine the cases referred to their consi deration, and finally voted grants of money towards building churches or chapels at Seacroft, in the parish of Whitkirk, Yorkshire ; at the Link, in the parish of Leigh, Worcester ; at Blaydon, in the parishes of Ryton and Winlaton, Durham ; at Thorpe Acre, Peterborough ; at Great Wyrley, in the parish of Cannock, Staffordshire ; and at the Groves, in the parish of Sutton, near Hull ; also towards enlarging, by rebuilding, the church at Bed nall, Staffordshire, and towards enlarging or otherwise increasing the accommodation in existing churches at Usk, Monmouth ; Hunmanby, Yorkshire ; Spernall, Warwick ; Lewes, St. Ann, Sussex ; Buckley, in the parish of Ha warden, Flintshire ; and Stoke St. Gregory, Somerset. These parishes contain a population of 34,831 souls, and possess church accommodation in 17 churches and chapels for 7611 persons, including 2149 free seats, to which pro vision of chu rc h room 3826 s i tt i ngs will be added by the erection of six new churches, and the rebuilding, enlarg ing, or increasing by other means the accommodation in seven existing churches, and of this additional accommo dation 2924 sittings will be free. Certificates of the com pletion of the erection of three new churches and chapels. and of the enlargement or other increase of accommodation in seven existing churches and chapels, were examined and approved, and orders were issued to the trustees to pay over to the treasurer the sum awarded in each case, in order that he may remit the amounts of the grants to the respective applicants. The population of these ten places is 85,115 persons, for whom church accommodation to the extent of 7729 sittings only were pr( vided, previ ously to the execution of the works now certified to be completed. of which 2580 were free. To the church room then provided 3796 seats have been added, 3266 seats of which are free. Since the last meeting of the committee, the requisite forms have been forwarded to twenty-four applicants, to enable them to submit to the board the applications they propose to make for aid. In ten of these cases, assistance will be solicited towards building addi tional churches. The Rev. Thomas Bowdler has been appointed to succeed the late Rev. W. J. Rodber in the office of secretary to the society. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. A prospectus has just been issued for the fcrination of a company to construct a line of railway from Chatham through Rochester to Gravesend. EASTERN UNION RAILWAY.—We may now congra tulate the public on the certainty of there being a direct line of railway between Ipswich and London. The rival line has been abandoned. The Eastern Counties Railway express their wish to see the Ipswich line carried out ' . and still better, that all the money to form the railway has been subscribed.—lpwich Express. THE RAILWAY JUNCTION AT HUNT'S BANK.—The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company are now making rapid progress to effect a junction with the Man chester anti Leeds. Within the last five or six days two of the segments, 120 feet span, (it will require eight to form the arch,) have been permanently fixed, and judg ing from the dispatch already shown, it is probable that another fortnight will be sufficient for the permanent fixing of the remaining segments. The arch is 120 feet span, and of cast-iron. CHESTER AND BIRKENAEAD RAILWAY.—A corres pondent of the Chester Courant says:—The tunnel to the Monk's Ferry will be completed in a few more months. Its effect will be doume ',ids traffic, and to add 50 ner cent. to the passenger traffic, wrinaL u. ch....a...- hand It will actually diminish the working expenses by dispensing with the cost of omnibusses, carts, waggons, &e., now required to connect the traffic between the ferry and the Birkenhead station. With this tunnel the line will pay 6or 7 per cent. on the present prices. The Bir kenhead docks will make the line one of the best termini in the kingdom. RAILWAY TAXATION.—THE BIRMINGHAM RAIL WAY.—Among the many benefits accruing to the coun try from the construction of railways, not the least is the accession thus caused to the public revenue. Take, for example, the case of the London and Birmingham Rail way. The taxes paid by the proprietors of that company, out of their profits, in the year 1843, were these : Five per cent. passenger duty . . Income Tax 16,214 Local taxes and parochial rates Duty on transfers, and stamps for receipts (up wards of) ..... Total £71,738 Bearing in mind that this very company had to expend even a larger amount than £71,738 before they were allowed to embark their capital in the formation of a rail way from London to Birmingham (at a cost of nearly £7,000,000, and necessarily at a fearful risk), the outcry of " monopoly," which is so constantly raised, and the complaints etimes made of high charges, aga i ns t railway comWi Aigm es generally, ought to be received with no small share of caution.—Railway Times. SHEFFIELD, ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE, AND MANCHES TER RA ILWAY.—A special meeting of the proprietors in this company was held on the 17th instant, at Manchester. The chairman explained the objects for which the meeting had been called—viz., for taking into consideration the propriety of authorising the directors to apply to parlia ment for power to make a branch from the main line at Guide Bridge to Ashton-under-Lyne, Staleybridge, and Duckinfield ; another from the said branch to, or near, Holebottom celliery ; and also for considering the pro posed arrangement for amalgamating the Barnsley Junction Railway with the Sheffield line, gauranteeing interest to Barnsley company. With respect to the branch to the colliery, he said the directors had thought it advisable to obtain parliamentary powers, after which it could be com pleted, either by themselves, or some other parties. The probable expenditure of the Ashton branch, the formation of which had met the approbation of the proprietors in September last, would be about £BO,OOO, and the estimated revenue was from £5OOO to £6OOO per annum, besides a saving of £l4OO now paid for boats and omnibuses. As to the Barnsley junction, there could not be a doubt but that it was a line well worthy the attention of those who embark in railway speculations; the cost would not ex ceed £200,000, guaranteeing 5 per cent. to the subscribers in perpetuity, or at their option that the shares should be incorporated with the general line after the expiration of five years. It was evident the public were satisfied as to the fairness of this arrangement, as more shares, by several thousands, had been applied for than was neces sary for the completion of the undertaking. The several resolutions for giving power to the directors to apply to parliament in the next session, and to raise the necessary capital, were unanimously adopted. " A BARELEGGED PEOPLE. " —The Kelso Chronicle resnarica, (and the observation fog Iderwith goes the round of the free-trade papers,) that " nearly the whole of the 45 millions of Russians go without stockings. Most of these would become our customers if our ports were open !" We wonder what would induce the peasantry of Scotland, and particularly the females, to wear shoes and stockings every day of the week. Perhaps our Kelso con temporary, from his local knowledge, might be able to suggest some mode of giving the English fashion in these particulars a free-trade across the border. By . the way, we understand that the hair-dressers of the anc i en regime intend, as soon as the repeal of the corn-laws has made flour cheap, to agitate for a repe a l of the tax on hair pow der. It is calculated that, by giving the advantages of a perfect f ree tra d e to t h at beautiful disguise of the human hair, not only will a great impetus be imparted to one of the loftiest branches of industry, but the favouritism of nature, so i nv idi ously consp i cuou s in the present fashion clueing locks o f every tinge to a fair quality. of wearing th e h a i r au nature !, will be corrected by re- MANSLA UGHTER AT A CARD TABLE. — L a s t S at urday evening a quarrel took place at a low beer shop in Gloucester. A young man named Cole was playing with some of his companions when another person, named George Fricker, joined the party about seven o'clock, but did not play. lie was intoxicated, and very quarrelsome , and as the gam e proceeded he lo oked over the cards of one of the players, and ma d e a s i gna l to his partner for the purpose of sh ow i ng what cards were out . Th is ag gravated Cole, who sa id he would play no mo re, and threw up his hand. Fricker the n challenged Col e to fight, and Cole ro s e f rom his seatand struck him a blow in the mouth. A p ropos i tion was made to adjourn to th e yard, but Fricker wou ld not agree to this ; and, taking advantage of an opportunity, hit Cole a violent blo w under the jaw with his fi s t, w hi ch knocked h i m down. Fricker then fell on him, seized the hair of his head, and continued to beat him for some time , until he lay motion less on the floor, and upon being lifted up it was found be was quite dead. Fricker then l a id h old of t h e l an dlord, threw him backward, and beat him about the head. At the inquest the jury returned i verdict of Manslaugh ter." THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. THE COURT. The Queen and Prince Albert returned to Windso . Castle from Claremont on Tuesday afternoon. Th Prince met with only indifferent success in the ground: at Claremont, though the game is strictly preserved. WINDSOR, THURSDAY.—This morning her Majesty accompanied by the Viscountess Canning, walked out 11 the royal pleasure grounds. His Royal Highness Prim: , Albert went out shooting this morning in the royal pre serves at Bagshot, accompanied by Sir Robert Peel, an, attended by Capt. Aleynell, Mr. G. E. Anson, and the f-lon. C. A. Murray. The royal party had some excellen sport, and returned t o th e cast l e a t two o'clock to lun cheon. In the afternoon her Majesty and the Prince walked for some time on the terrace. Their Royal High nesses the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal rod( out on their ponies in the royal pleasure grounds this morning. The Princess Alice has been taken out for hei usual airings. In the afternoon her Royal Highness tht Duchess of Kent came to the castle, from Frogmore, and paid a visit to her Majesty. Also, the Duke and Duchess of Buckingham arrived at the castle this afternoon, on a visit to her Majesty. DEPARTURE OF THE COURT FROM WlNDSOR.—AC cording to present arrangements, Her Majesty (who will open the ensuing session of Parliament in person on the Ist proximo) will take her departure from Windsor Cas tle for Buckingham Palace on Tuesday or Wednesday, the 30th or 31st inst. It is fully expected that the stay of the Sovereign in town will not extend beyond a week or ten days, when the Court will return to Windsor, and remain at the Castl e till a somew h a t a dvanced period of the spring, most probably until the middle of April. The extremely excellent health enjoyed by the Royal family at Windsor is o ne o f th e c hi e f reason s for Her Majesty not proceeding to town tor '' the season " until the late period we have named. It is at present undecided whether the Royai family will accompany their illustrious parents to London the week after next, or remain during her Majesty's brief absence at Windsor. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Kew on Tuesday evening from the Continent. Her Royal Highness the Princess Mary accompanied the Royal Duchess. Baron Knesebeck left town on Saturday week for the Continent to meet their Royal Highnesses. SIR AUGUSTUS D'ESTE.—The Argus states that no opposition will be offered to the application of Sir Augus tus D'Este to take the title of his late father, his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, and that her Majesty has expressed a desire that the question should be settled as speedily as possible. Sir Robert Peel has issued cards for a grand parliamen tary dinner on Wednesday, the 31st instant, at which the right hon. baronet will read the royal speech on opening parliament to his numerous guests. LAW INTELLIGENCE. VICE-CHANCELLORS' COURT, FRIDAY, JAN. 19. (Before Sir L. Shadwell.) WALSH V. GLADSTONE. This was a petition presented by Lord Camoys, and the other residuary legatees under the will of the late 'Air. Blundell, praying that a sum of £3,000, which had been set apart as a fund to the trustees legacy account, might be paid to them. The testator by his will had appointed John Gladstone, Robert Gladstone, and Thomas Robin son his trustees and executors, and bequeathed a legacy of .£3co to each trustee who should prove and act under the trusts of his will, and also provided that in case either of them should die without having acted, or should de cline or refuse to act in the execution of the trust, that the legacy intended for him should go to the trustee who should be appointed in his stead, and accept the office of trustee. The will further contained the ordinary proviso for the appointment, by the surviving trustee, of ne w trustees, i❑ the event of any party dying or being desirous to be discharged, or neglecting, refusing, or becoming in. capable to act in the execution of the trust. Two of the trustees named in the will had died in the lifetime of the testator, and the Master had appointed Mr. Robertson Gladstone and Mr. J. Neilson Gladstone, who had been proposed by the acting trustee under the will, to be trus tees in the room of the deceased parties. The question now submitted for the opinion of the Court was, whether under the two provisions of the will the trustees so ap pointed by the Master wer, entitled to the legacies of £3OO, or whether they were to be considered to have lapsed. Mr. Stuart and Mr. Flemming supported, and Mr. Bethel! and Mr. Rolt opposed, the petition. The Vice-Chancellor said, he was bound by the lan guage of the testator's will, and was of opinion that the event which had happened was not provided for by it, and that the trustees appointed by the Master (though they might have been proposed by the trustee surviving the testator) were entitled to the legacies under either of the provisions of the will. We regret to learn that Mr. Justice Maule has not re covered from the indisposition under which he was labour ing during his attendance at the Yorkshire Winter Gaol Delivery. On Tuesday last, Mr. Justice Coltman was obliged to undertake the discharge of the learned judge's business at Chambers. On Wednesday, however, the hon. gentleman appeared in Court, looking much better. CHANCERY REFORMS.—AN EXTRAORDINARY AN SWER.—Vvithin the last few days an extraordinary an rh.n....rr hag he en fil e d. The answer is engrossed on "40 skins of parchment, consisting of up wards of 1,000 folios. It has been ascertained that an omce copy of this answer will cost the plaintiff no less than £49 lOs ! which amount must be incurred before the suit can be proceeded with. It is said that the Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, find ing his duties as a member of the Anti-Corn Law League likely to interfere with the due discharge of those that belong to this appointment as one of the Examiners in the Court of Chancery (the hours of attendance being from ten to four daily), has it in contemplation to resign the latter. " Such a sacrifice to a sense of duty, " i ob serves a correspondent, is very rare, and worthy of mita tion whenever it occurs, for the salary is £1 5 ,000 a year. The sacrifice, if it be about to take place is, we appre hend, one of compulsion as well as of duty.—John Bull. THE LAW or DIVORCE.— A deputation waited on Thursday on Dr. Nichol, on the subject of the present law of divorce in this country, to request him to introduce into any measure be may have in contemplation for the reform of the ecclesiastical law a clause to enable injured indi viduals who may appeal to that court to obtain a divorce a vineulo mairimonii. Th e d eputation were most cour teously received by Dr. Nichol, who promised to call the attention of the government to this necessary and im portant alteration in so unjust a state of the present law, which entirely puts it out of the power of an injured part) to obtain any redress except at an outlay of about £lOOO. SPRING ASSIZES. 1844.—The judges of the different courts met on Thursday morning, in the Exchequer Chamber, and chose their respective circuits on the ensuing Spring Assizes. The following is the arrange ment :—Home Circuit—Lord Chief Justice Denman and Mr. Baron Alderson. Midland—Lord Chief Justice Tindal and Mr. Baron Gurney. Norfolk—Lord Chief Baron Abinger and Mr. Justice Patteson. Oxford—Mr. Baron Parke and Mr. Justice Coleridge. Northern— Mr. Justice Coltman and Mr. Baron Rolfe. Western— Mr. Justice Wighttnan and Mr. Justice Cresswell. South Wales—Mr. Justice Williams. North Wales—Mr. Justice Maule. Mr. Justice Erskine remains in town and will attend business at chambers. HINT TO COURSERS, &c.—The public are aware that qui tam actions are pending against several of the most influential supporters of the turf, for the recovery of enor mous penalties on bets won on horse races. To a com mon-sense reading, the statute upon which the proceed ings are founded (9th Anne, c. 14) was evidently intended to apply to dicing and cards. The judges of the present day have invariably laid it down that racing is compre hended in the words " other games ;" and this point. still vigorously disputed, will shortly have to be again deter mined in the courts of law, unless the legislature shall previously resolve on the repeal act. But whatever doubt may exist as to its application to racing, there is none whatever as it regards coursing. Racing is legalized by statute to the utmost extent, and further by 52 Royal Plates of 100 guineas each, and the Queen's Vase at Ascot, annually given; but coursing, or in the language of the courts, " dog matches" were held in the case of Daintree v. Hutchinson, decided after three several hear ings, so lately as June, 1842, to come w ithi n th e mean i ng of the act ; and coursing for stakes or other things of the value in the aggregate of £lO, is distinctly and indisputa bly contrary to law. In every sum of money, therefore, above the value of £lO, whether in the shape of a stake, cup, or bet, the winner is liable, under the statute of Anne. to be sued by the common informer in four times the amount won. We are not sounding the alarm upon weak or imaginary grounds ; a pettifogging lawyer has been quietly at work for some weeks past, and unless checked by prompt and vigorous measures in parliament, will assuredly place the coursing community in a very un pleasant " fix." The game aimed at in the contemplated proceedings include Lord Sefton, a winner of £2O with Synedoche, at Altcar ; Marquis of Douglas, a winner with Chatelherault, of £132 10s. at Clydesdale ; Lord Eglin toun, the winner of several valuable prizes at the Scotch meetings ; Lord Stradbroke, winner of £2OO at the Wa terloo meeting in 1842, and upwards of £2OO at the New market Champion Meeting, in the same year; Mr. Pol lock, winner of £3OO at the last Waterloo Meeting ; Mr. E. G. Hornby, winner of several cups and stakes at Alt car, Southport, Lytham, &c. ; Sir W. A Maxwell, Sir H. Fleetwood, and several others, winners of stakes of suffi cient value to excite the cupidity of the worthies now so industriously (we hope impotently) at work. All these gentlemen are liable and quite certain, if they sit at home with their arms folded, to be sued for and have recovered from them four times the amount of the several stakes won. And let the small fry remember, that 20 grey hounds entered for a stake of half a sovereign a piece con stitute, in the eye of the learned judges, " a dog match for £10." TRIAL OF MRS. GILMOUR.—This woman was tried on Friday and Saturday last, in the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, for the murder of her husband, by adminis tering arsenic to him, which produced death. The cir cumstances of the cas e are no dou b t i n t h e recollection. of the reader, full detail s o f t h e charge aga i ns t the prisoner having been recently published. The jury, after an ab sence of about an hour, returned with the following ver dict :—The jury, after a careful and mature consideration of the evidence brought before them in this case, are unanimously of opinion, that John G.lmour died from the effects of arsenic ; hut find it not proved against the prisoner at the bar, as libelled. This announcement was followed by very decided expressions of approval by those in court, which were rebuked by the Lord Justice Clerk. The prisoner was then dismissed from the bar. GENERAL MISCELLANY. The Great League Fund already exceeds £60,000, and he metropolis has yet to begin its subscription. It is said that Sir Gregory Lewin is to be the first Re 'order for Sheffield. A child was killed in Manchester the other day by swal owing a horse bean. A writer in the Globe of Saturday contends that 1,000,000 quarters of foreign grain will be required before ►arvest. The Edinburgh Review suggests the creation of a new itock, yielding £320,000 annually, for the payment of the Catholic clergy in Ireland. There are already above twenty water establishments on he principle of the water cure in different parts of the kingdom, and they are rapidly increasing in number. The Scotch are now gathering guano from the rocks and cliffs of the Orkney Isles, and supplies of it are also being collected on parts of the Devonshire coast. A litter of young foxes was discovered a few days ago near Sedgefield,—a circumstance of most unusual occur rence at this season of the year. Mr. Pakenham, the newly-appointed British Envoy to the United States, carries out with him, it is confidently stated, full instructions to negotiate a settlement of the Oregon territory dispute. The deer in Chillingham Park, Northumberland, be longing to the Earl of Tankerville, are advertised to be sold under a writ of execution. The herd consists of 46 red deer, and 234 fallow deer. We understand that in the House of Commons, Vis count Clive, the member for North Shropshire, will move the address in answer to her Majesty's speech ; and Mr. Cardwell, member for Clitheroe, will be the seconder. James Bryce, accused of the murder of his brother-in law,at West Calder, near Glasgow, detailed in our columns a fortnight since, has been arrested but denies that he is guilty of the charge. Lord Brougham has arrived in Gratton-street from Paris, where his lordship remained two or three days, en route from his Chateau at Cannes, to pay his respects to the King of the French, with whom he dined. FEMALE PEDESTRIANISM.—The extraordinary and astonishing feat of walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours, has been completed by a Mrs. Harrison, 40 years of age, upon the Leeds and Whitehall road. THE REGISTER.—The Leviathan Register of Voters for the West Riding of Yorkshire is just completed. It contains the names of the extraordinary number of thirty four thousand six hundred and twenty-two electors. The latest accounts from Howick convey the gratifying intelligence that the venerable Earl Grey is going on as favourably as can be expected at his advanced period of life, and daily recovering from the effects of his recent severe illness. The fable of the industrious and idle apprentices if fa miliarly exemplified in the account of a trial at Salisbury Sessions last week. The Recorder was under the painful necessity of passing sentence of imprisonment on an old schoolfellow and companion of former years. THE TEA TRADE, Jan. 15.—There has not been any particular feature in the tea trade since our last ; but the consumption goes on steadily. To-morrow public sales of above 50,000 packages will commence. Last week the deliveries were 520,0801 b., being an increase. STATE OF TRADE IN NEWCASTLE.—The duties re ceived at the Newcastle Custom-house during the last year have amounted to the unusually large sum of £494,524, being an actual increase of £61,737 above the receipt of 1842. CONSUMPTION OF SHERRY.—It appears, from a par liamentary paper, that there is an increase in the impor tation of sherry last year of 4,217 butts, the importation being, in 1842, 25,096 butts, and in the year just ended, 29,313. On Friday week, Mr. Jeremiah Garnett, of the Man chester Guardian, was elected a member of the Manches ter Town Council for St. Ann's Ward, in the room of his late partner, Mr. John Edward Taylor. There was no other candidate. ESCAPE OF PRISONERS FROM TIVERTON GAOL.—On Thursday night last, two men, named Thomas Easter brook and Benjamin Collard, the former under sentence of transportation, and the latter waiting his trial upon a charge of felony, escaped from Tiverton gaol. The petition against the return of John Bright for the city of Durham, on the ground of corrupt practices, will be prosecuted with vigour on the assembling of the House of Commons. The case against the " honest" leaguer is understood to be so strong that there is little doubt he will be removed from the seat. THE FAILURE OF A LARGE HOSIERY HOUSE.— Messrs. Nevil, Son, Rossal, and Co., of Cary-lane, Lon don, this week has produced a great sensation in this market, and some houses are large creditors, but from the last report it appears probable that there will not ulti mately be any loss. FRIGHTFUL AFFAIR,"A man named Andrews, i❑ Birmingham, has been committed on a charge of wilful murder, for actually roasting his child, a little girl of fourteen years of age, alive. The brute exhibited a de gree of apathy only a little less revolting than the crime of which he stands charged. IMPORTATION OF FOREIGN CATTLE.—This branch of the import trade at Hull has fallen off considerably —up wards of one-half for last year, as compared with 1842. Ige l e B p 4 , 3 wbe i r:lVl t ,VB? - Pcr.Nr,°An t gg), 3 4 l 3 7 9 ° ste l e p a , n tl i a 253 pigs, were imported. RETIREMENT OF SIR HENRY POTTINGER.—Mr. Da vis, who formerly acted for a chart time as successor to the late Lord Napier in China, has been selected by the government to relieve Sir Henry Pottinger as the Queen's Representative and Governor of the new British colony of Hong Kong. ELM BARK POISONOUS TO ITORSES. — LateIy, at Sut ton-hall, Mr. Hasland's valuable brood mare Whisker died from having nipped the bark of some elms that had been felled ; and, on post mortem examination, it was found that the substance had produced violent inflamma tion of the intestines. LIEUTENANT MUNRO.—In the Gazelle of Friday last, the following memorandum appears :—" Lieutenant and Adjutant A. T. Munro, of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, (Blue,) is superseded, being absent without leave. January 11." It is evident from this, that Lieu. tenant Munro has no intention of undergoing the chances of a trial at the Central Criminal Court. A SALT-WATER BOA.—Last week a fisherman, who was engaged in his avocation to the southward of the Is land of Guernsey, caught the largest conger eel ever known to have been taken in the British Channel. It measured seven feet six inches in length, and was two feet nine inches in circumference. It weighed one hun dred pounds. COAL PIT EXPLOSION.—On the morning of the sth instant, an explosion of fire damp took place at the Vic toria Colliery, Lofthouse Gate, near Wakefield, whereby several workmen were severely injured. Two have since died, one on the following day, and another, named George Frost, on the afternoon of the 10th instant. Two other boys were much burnt, and still lie in a precarious state. DENSE FOG.—FATAL OCCURRENCE.—So dense was the fog in this town and neighbourhood on Tuesday, that several accidents, more or less serious, were the conse quence. At Newton Heath, so great was the inconveni ence, that parties driving horses or vehicles could with difficulty get on at all ; and one poor man came to his death by falling into the Rochdale canal, in all probability from not being able to find his way.—Manchester Courier. BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET, JAN. 19.—1 n West India sugars the sales since our last report reach about 250 hogsheads, without alteration in p r i ces . I n M aur i t i us and Bengals, about 750 mats of the former have been dis posed of at from 575. to 605., and 500 bags of the latter, a badly conditioned parcel, at about 605., and which rates were not previously attainable. In rum no transactions are reported. Average price of sugar, Jan. 15, is 355. 2d. per cwt. THE DUKE DE BORDEAUK.—This Prince has suddenly left England. After his visit to Woolwich, on the 11th, he was about to continue his tour when letters reached him from Germany, announcing the severe indisposition of the Duc d'Angouleme, whom the Prince has always looked upon as a father. His Royal Highness immedi ately decided upon abandoning his tour in England, and embarking on Friday evening, for Ostend, on his way to Goritz. A YOUNG MAN STABBED BY HIS OWN BROTHER.— On Friday last, a family named Glaves, who reside in Birmingham, were at dinner, when words arose between tthhee e l a l d t t e e s r t v s ru n e . g a e z d e d a k 2 2 e . i f an d a t a o t broth e er I m 7 e y n of a the l d f r w m h near the navel; the young man's intestines instantly pro truded from the wound, and he was conveyed in a car with all speed to the General Hospital, where the poor fellow died at five o'clock the next morning. CAUTION TO NURSES.—On Saturday last, an inquest was held before one of the Coroners of Middlesex, at Bethnal Green, on the body of an infant child about five hours old, which had died in convulsions in consequence of the nurse having given it about a quarter of a tea spoonful of gin mixed with moist sugar, to soothe its moaning. The child died within a quarter of an hour afterwards. The nurse had a narrow escape from being sent to prison for trial. " DRUMMING OUT" A SOLDIER. — On Tuesday, Tho mas Quail, a private is the 70th Infantry, was drummed out of that regiment at the Infantry barracks in Wood house-lane, Leeds, where the regiment is now stationed. We understand that Quail had been about twelve years in the 70th, during which he had frequently broken through, military discipline, and had in consequence been the sub ject of many Courts-Martial, and suffered various kinds and degrees of punishment for his offences. • A Goon Sul:Yr.—The Earl of Stradbroke, who is enter taining a party of sporting noblemen and gentlemen at Henham Hall, backed himself on Thursday last for a wager of .t. 50 with Captain Burne to kill and bag three brace of pheasants, flying shots, in the day, with single ball, which his lordship did with ease, killing 7 birds out of 27 shots, the law. two being right and left. No restric tion was made, whether rifle, double, or single gun, and his lordship preferred the double gun he usually shoots with. DARIN G HIGHWAY ROBBERY, NEAR CARNARYON.— OR Saturday week three men and a woman were com mitted by S:H. Evans. Esq., at Carnarvon, charged with a highway robbery of a most daring nature, and ac:!orn panied with considerable violence, on the person of a car man in the employ of 111 r. Humphreys, of the Menai bridge, w h o was r e turning with h i s car from Carnarvon. Their names are G eorge R o d er i c k an d A nne, his wife, Robert Rob er t s, an d W ill i am Jones, all not e d c h aracters and long known as a terror to Carnarvon. ITHE STEYNING M EETING .—W e un d erstand that the Duke of Norfolk, together with some other leading and influential whigs, have signified their con urrence in the views of the parties who have called the meeting at Stey ning on the 29th inst., and will manifest, by their attend ance on that day, their disapprobation of the Anti-Crrn Law League. This may serve as a set-off to the letter of the Marquis of Westminster.—Brighton Gazette. THE COLLIERS.—The Bowling colliers are still on strike. A meeting was held on Tuesday, on the vacant piece of ground known as Peckover's Walk, Bradford, and was well attended. Several speeches were made by colliers, which contained some plain statements of their grievances and their claims, with encouragement to their brethren to be united, in the hope that in the end they should obtain their object. ACTIVITY OF THE LONDON PRESS.—The speech of the King of the French, which was delivered on the 27th of December, arrived at Boulogne at midnight ; was thence sent by the packet to Folkestone, and from thence by the Dover Railway to London, where it arrived at ten o'clock on the morning of the 28th. It was printed in the London journals, and copies of them were received in Boulogne a long time before the Paris journals which con tained the speech arrived at that place. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.—A very curious pheno menon has been observed at the gas-works in Bury St. Edmund's. In consequence of some small coal of a dif ferent sort being laid over the larger, which had been be fore provided, spontaneous ignition has on two occasions taken place in the heap, and burst out in a narrow pas sage. To the peculiar quality of these coals may probably be attributed the oppressive sulphurous smell and yellow flame of the gas, which has of late been often observed.— Bury Post. ATTEMPT TO BURN A FREE CHURCH.—Last week, at a late hour at night, as some women were passing the new Free Church at Criech, in Sutherlandshire, they were startled by seeing a light inside. They hastened into the church, and found a pile of boards ignited by shavings placed below. In a few minutes the fire would have reached the wooden gallery above, and then the roof just over, and the destruction of the whole pile was inevitable from the state of the weather and dryness of the timber. They, after some exertion, extinguished the smouldering mass, and thus providentially saved the building. DEATH OF A SURGEON FROM A WOUND IN DISSEC TION.—The Warspite, 54, Captain Wallis, at Lisbon, has lost her surgeon under the following lamentable circum stances :—When in perfect health he was dissecting a corpse, at the hospital of St. Joseph, in the city of Lisbon, when in the operation he accidentally cut hisfinger. Little was thought of it at the time; but the wound festered and became inflamed, mortification soon struck, and in less than a week from the time of the cut he died. Dr. Bell, of Plymouth-yard, about 15 years since, lost his life from a similar cause. LONDON JOINT STOCK BANK.—The half-yearly meet ing of the shareholders of this undertaking was held on the 10th instant. The secretary read the report of the di rectors, which was of a very satisfactory nature, and showed that the half-year's profit, after all deductions, was £16,470 16s. Sd., which sum was applicable to a di vidend after the rate of six per cent. per annum. The balance sheet was read, and laid on the table for the in spection of the proprietors. The total amount on both sides of the account was £2,768,996 10s. WINES.—The official returns of the shipment of wines from Oporto, in 1843, show the following results, viz.. that the total shipments were 26,400 pipes, of which 21,296 pipes were destined for Great Britain, 2,541 pipes for Brazil, 879 pipes for Ilamburgh, 547 pipes for the United States, and 6 pipes to France, while other locali ties figure for 1,131. The principal shippers were George Sandeman and Co., 2,092 pipes; Hunt, Roope, and Co., 1,305 pipes; Martinez, Gassiot, and Co., 1,256 pipes; T. G. Smith, 1,112 pipes; Fonseca and Co., 1,062 pipes' and Quarles Harris and Co., 1,016 pipes. PRIZE FroHT.—On Thursday, the 11th instant, a pu gilistic encounter took place on Lindrick-common, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire, which was nearly attended with fatal consequences. The combatants were, a small farmer, named Miller, who resides at Cresswell, and has a family of seven children, and a fellow named Webster, who lives at Whitwell, and has likewise a wife and eight children. The stakes were £lO. The fight, which con sisted of fifty-three rounds, and lasted nearly two hours, was won by Webster, who so severely beat his opponent that it is doubtful whether he will survive, although he has been attended by two medical gentlemen. ISLAND OF LEWIS.—Mr. James Matheson, M.P., has purchased from the family of Seaforth the princely pro perty of the Lewis, one of the largest islands of the Ile brides, with a population of about 15,000, and included in the county of Ross. The purchase money was £190,000. Mr. Matheson and his lady are at present on a tour in Italy ; but improvements will soon be commenced, for the new proprietor intends, we understand, to devote a fur- . . ther sum of £40,000 or £50,000 towards establishing a regular steam communication with the island, forming roads, and otherwise improving his extensive territory.— Inverness Courier. EXTRAORDINARY CASE.—A man named Maloney, an auctioneer, formerly residing in Bellurteel, has been sen tenced to transportation for seven years, for forging a draft of about £132. After he committed this crime, he went to America, and while there learned that he was the heir to £50,000 in dispute in Ireland. He returned and speed ily made good his claim, but immediately after he was arrested, tried at the present commission, and convicted. This treasure is, of course, confiscated to the Crown. Baron Lefroy, in passing sentence, intimated that if a❑ application were mane to the proper quarter, this property might be granted to the children of the unfortunate felon. —lrish paper. SUSPECTED MURDER AT SFIEFFIELD.—On Friday night week, a young woman named Harriet Holmes, came to her death under such circumstances as to lead to a strong suspicion that she was murdered by her paramour, a man named Henry Jackson. She was apparently in good health, but tipsy, at ten o'clock at night, and at half past eleven, the same night, Jackson called a neighbour into the house, and she found Holmes lying dead on the floor. Jackson, under pretence of going to fetch the mo ther of the deceased went away, and has not since been seen in Sheffield. Several bruises were found on the person of the deceased, and a poker was, found in the house very much bent. The inquest has not yet closed. COALS.—The official returns of the quantity of coals imported into London during th e mont h of December, exhibit the following results :—F rom N ewcastle-upon- Tyne, 140,082 tons, in 420 vessels; Sunderland 80 335 tons, in 265 vessels; Stockton (including Hartleiniol) 54,295 tons, in 193 vessels ; Blyth, 9,703 tons, in 33 Yes: sels ; Yorkshire, 6,105 tons, in 69 vessels; Scotch, 787 tons, in 8 vessels; and Wales, 3,015 tons, in 10 vessels. The returns also include a cargo of small coals and four cargoes of cinders. The total number of tons is 295,700, carried in 1,003 vessels. In comparing the return of the month in question with the corresponding month of 1842, we find an increase of 6,779 tons, but on the whole year there is a decrease of 94,680 tons. MURDER.—Peter Campbell, who kept a school for some years in Locbgilphead, near Glasgow, but resigned i n t a l t a . s , t a s b u n ro n m t t e i r i r , e k e i l n l n cl l n h n i k s interposition of a neighbour from destroying his nrther's , a u a n n d t o w n atah only r p ni re n v g e i life also. Campbell lived with his mother and his aunt, n o t f ed th b e y l3 u t i h e both frail old women. The attention of one of the county police and Mr. M`Millan of the Stag Inn was attracted to the house by hearing the females crying for help. On forcing open the door, they found the aunt with her head nearly separated from the body, and Campbell, in parox ysm of insanity, cutting at his mother's neck with a razor. The maniac was disarmed and secured in time to save the poor old woman's life, although she received so many wounds on the face, neck, and arms, as to 1) dangerously j ill. The murderer was taken to Inverary ail. WASTE LANDS—ENCLOSURE ACT.—On the motion of Lord Worsley, a very long return was made in June last " of the true or estimated quantity in statute measure of all common or waste lands not being held in severalty in every parish or tithe commutation district. The sum mary of England shows that in the 40 counties the total quantity of land amounts to 6,718,523 acres, of which the quantity of common or waste land is stated to be 1,358,419 acres. In Middlesex alone there are 1321 acres of waste land. The largest quantity of waste land is in the north riding of Yorkshire, there being no less thon 132,815 acres of common or woste land out of a total of 1,897,592 acres, moking a total of waste land in England and Wales of 1,860,232 out of the total of 8,616,115. By the return it appears that from 1800 to 1810 the number of enclosure acts passed was 905, from 1810 to 1820 the number was 741, from 1820 to 1830 the number was 192, and from 1830 to 1840 the number of enclosure acts was 125. Ex: o E ,c e l tr oc T k i o onN O s F at A ur P da A y ß , RlC os lD ep E h .— D ß o e b t L e n e , n w t h w o e lwve. _was 25 one years of age; was executed behind the Castle at York, for the wilful murder of his father, by shooting him, at Mount Tabor, near Halifax, on the 4th of July last. For several days after his trial the convict maintained considerable diffidence of demeanour, and when spoken to respecting his impending fate, was slow to admit the justice of his condemnation, and would cling to the morbid palliative that the dispute between him and his father could not but have terminated with blood, and had he not killed his father the old man wo u ld certa i n l y h ave kill e d hi m . Thi s pernicious delusion, however, subsided before the advances of religious admonition, and a marked change was wrought in his mind, and h e was b roug ht t o l oo k upon his condi tion with becoming concern. The sermon to the con demned was preached on Friday by the Rev. J. Shackley, who, after his discourse, addressed the other prisoners present, and said, that he was requested by Dobson to state to them, that it was after a long course of sin he had committed the dire offence for which he was about to suffer, never having been in a place of worship in his life previous to his committal to prison, and urging them to conversion and repentance. The culprit, after his con demnation, continued in the enjoyment of excellent health, and at his own request his daily rations were doubled. The fatal drop was erected in the usual place at an early hour in the morning. At half-past ten o'clock the convict received the holy sacrament from the hands of the acting chaplain , and front the terminati o n of that ceremony to 12 o'clock both were engaged i n earnest prayer. Precisely at mid-day, the Under-Sheriff de manded the body in the ordinary way, and the devoted man was then pinioned. The usual procession accom panied him to the scaflold, the burial service being read in an impressive manner. Dobson was evid en tly qu it e res igned to his fate, and met an ignominious death with fortitude. On the termination of the funeral prayers, Mr. Salvin shook hands with the culprit, saying, " Good by—God bless you, Dobson ;" to which he distinctly re plied, " I sin in His arms now." His lips continued moving in prayer until the executioner placed the cap upon his head, and after adjusting the rope with much minuteness, the bolt was drawn, and the pour fellow launched into eternity. His struggles were scarcely per ceptibJe, and the work of destruction was soon accom plished. Jan. 23, 1844 THE PoLv cuitoNiecosT.—We have lately had our at •ention called to a very ingenious invention, which will be frond useful for reporters and members of Parliament .vho may wish to take notes of any particular speech. Ihe objection to the use of the ever-pointed pencil has keen the having to repl en i s h t h e po i nts ; for as no indica tion denoted how much lead still remained in the point, 'he supply was found to he generally exhausted at the most inconvenient time. These objections are entirely ob viated by this invention, as the case contains lead through out its length, which is propelled forward as required until the whole is used ; this is effected by an external screw and travelling propeller, indicating from its position the length of lead at any time remaining for use. THE WEATHER AND VEGETATION.—For the last few market-days, Covent-garden, and the other fruit and ve getable markets, have been very abundantly supplied with nearly every description of autumnal and spring vegeta tion, whilst what is more properly the winter supply, as savoys and kales, has been but small and of inferior qua lity. In fact, the quantity as well as the character of the supply was more like that ordinarily seen in March or April than so near after Christmas—a circumstance to be attributed to the continued mildness of the weather, there having been as yet no frosts to impede in the slightest manner the out-door labours of the gardener. Every description of supply, as greens, cabbages, carrots, turnip tops, turnips, parsley, celery, small salad, &.c, was unu sually cheap. The show of flowers, consisting of camellias, tulips, hyacinths, narcissuses, violets, primroses, crocuses, Leaths, roses, &c., gave to this portion of the market the gay appearance of a very advanced period of spring. THE REBECCA RIOTERS.—Shoni Scybor Fawr and Dai-y-Cantwr. the persons who, at the late winter assizes, were convicted for Rebecca riots, and were severally sen tenced, the former to transportation for life, and the other for twenty years, have made confessions. Shoni confessed that he was present at the burning of Mr. Chamber's two farms, namely, Mansant and Tynywern. He also mentioned several nightly meetings which he had attended, where measures were taken to avoid the mili tary, who at that time patrolled the country. He admit ted that he was one of a party who pulled down a dozen gates, which he named, and the several nights on which they were demolished. He further gave the names of several farmers who were present with him in his destruc tive acts. It appeared from his statement that he and his wicked companions were to be paid a certain sum a day for breaking down gates and other misdeeds, and that he and many others were paid ss. each for setting fire to Mansant, from a publican, who acted as treasurer. He further states, that the old woman at Hendry -gate was shot by a boy unintentionally —in fact, that her death was purely accidental. DEATH FROM HAVING SWALLOWED A FISH-BONE.— On Friday Mr. Wakley, M.P., held an inquest on the body of Eliza Davies, servant t o M rs. Solomon, of 14, Lisson-grove, London. From the evidence of Mrs. Solo mon it appeared that, on the evening of Monday week deceased was supping off a plaice, when she rose from table, with her mouth full of fish and bread, to fetch a spoon. She was talking at the time, and on her return to table she was seized with a severe fit of coughing, and said a fish bone had stuck in her throat. Efforts were made, without avail, to force the bone up or down the throat. On the Wednesday following, deceased getting worse, Mr. Robins, a surgeon, of Southwick -street. was consulted, and, not being able to extract the bone, he forced it downwards with a probang. After this opera tion deceased appeared better, until Sunday last, when severe coughing and spitting of blood set in, and then deceased rapidly sank, and died early on Wednesday last, in consequence, Mr. Robins said, of the bone having penetrated the lungs. Mr. Wakley said, that persons partaking of fish should be particularly cautious, and re frain from talking or doing anything else, whilst masti cating such food, rendered dangerous by the many small bones it contained. Verdict, " Death from having acci dentally swallowed a fish. bone." ROWLAND HILL REDIVIVUS.—A Dissenting preacher in the neighbourhood of London lately introduced in his sermon the following stringent remarks on the am bition too generally observable in places of worship in the choice of pews ;—ln illustration of the text, " who love the chief seats in the synagogue," &c., he said—Brethren I consider myself your spiritual omnibus driver ; as much so in a spiritual sense as that man who has just drove past Zion Chapel in a `city' sense. lam the driver, and Saul Lanks, the pew opener, is my cad. He shows you into my bus, and I undertake to carry you where you want to go. I books you for the eternal city. Now, tell me, arn't that man there next the door, him in the red neck cloth and pale face, just as likely to be set down safe as Mrs. Clamberton, who refuses to sit under me any longer because Mr. Growler has got a bigger pew ? Again : instead of this here comfortable, sociable conveyance, I was the driver of the Newgate wan, and was carrying of ye all to perdition, I s'pose you'd most of ye have some thin' else to think of than whether you was for'ard or back'ard in the wehicle ! My brethren, where har you goin'?—where are you goin' ? In either case, the seat you will fill is of very little consequence. The Question for you to consider is, where will you be, when, at the end of the journey, Death, the big booking-office-keeper, opens the door, and I sets you down ?"—West of En gland Conservative. COMMISSION OF LUNACY.—A commission of lunacy was opened on Monday last, before Mr. Commissioner Barlow, at the Canonbury Tavern, in Islington, to inquire into the mental co n diti on o f th e Princess Catharine Louisa Maria Frances Bariatinski, daughter of the late Prince Bariatinski, a Russian nobleman. Her mother, the Honourable Frances Neville Dutton, sister of the present Lord Sherborne, died at Alton, in 1807, in giving birth to the present Princess Catherine. The commission was opposed by the present Prince Bariatinski, half-bro ther to the Princess; it was watched by Lord Sherborne, uncler whose care she has principally resided, and by Lord Ducie and the Earl of Carnarvon, who arc related to her. Several witnesses, the medical advisers, and chief perso nal attendants of the princess were examined. Her con duct first attracted notice in 1829, and, since that, her mind has undergone a gradual decay. Her language was frivolous and incoherent, she destroyed valuable clothes and other property ; some letters were read in whi c h s h e spoke with a childi s h l ev ity a b ou t wishing to be married ; she would pull up her clothes in the streets and shops to tie her garters, making faces at people at church, smile at gentlemen in the theatre ; and, altogether, her behaviour was so improper that her governess was obliged to keep her apart from other ladies. The Commissioner and the Jury visited the Princess at her residence in the High,. bury-grove. They found her crouched down before a fire, which was guarded by a fire-screen ; and her idle answers fully betrayed the state of her mind. In person she is tall, and of rather prepossessing appearance. The Jury pronounced her mind to have been unsound since August, 1830. THE GIPSIES.—The anniversary Gipsy festivals were held during the first week after Christmas, at the house and grounds of the Rev. Mr. Crabbe, near Southampton, and numbers of the swarthy tribe come from very distant parts of the country to this re-union of their race. The grounds at Spring-hill-house have a very picturesque ap pearance on these occasions. Gipsy carts, shaggy ponies, and the roughest of donkies, are on the outskirts of the grounds ; gipsies of all grades are lounging about, the faces of the greater part unequivocally showing their identity—the English climate for centuries not having bleached the brown complexions and raven hair of the Gitana. The ma j or i ty are tidily dressed, having put on their best, to pl ease " Th e Gi ps i es ' F r i en d , " as they all affectionately call Mr. Crabbe; a few of the women are tawdrily attired in red stuff gowns, with black bonnets and showy ribands—these are principally d en i zens of the few are in wretched pli g h t—one woman had ten children living out of t we l ve, all without shoes, • naked. These ar e v i s i ters not under the spe- New Forest ; a c and near ) ial care of haste the institution. Th ere are several young per sons who h been apprenticed, and follow trades, or are domestic servants, through the agency of the institution. There used to be a goodly number of aged reformed Gipsies who were pensioners on the institution ; a great portion of them have died. The number of children present is always very great in proportion to the adults. An aged dame, named Carter, has 56 grandchildren, most of whom met her on the occasion. These anniversaries have generally been well attended by the principal inhabi tants of the neighbourhood ; at the anniversary on Wed nesday last the number of visiters was much less than usual, owing to the state of the roads, which were in a frightful state, and the heaviness of the atmosphere, which betokened rain. There was, nevertheless, a good attendance, and on this occasion the Marquis Conynghans and his family were present.—Hampehire Telegraph. DREADFUL DESTITUTION. —On Friday an inquest was held before Mr. Wakley, the London coroner, on the body of Maria Dillaway and her infant child. The jury on proceeding to view the body, were conducted through a number of broken-down fences to a ca bin . about the size. or perhaps rather less than indiscriminately tvaroyo • dsubllnf,r" house, and composed c b t and mud. In this place lay the bodies of the mother and child. The interior of the cabin was 5 feet 6 inches wide, and 12 feet long. It consisted of an apartment with a fire-place of bricks at one end, and a dirty looking mat tress was resting against the wall. The bodies of the woman and child were in an advanced state of decompo sition, and presented all the appearances of having been literally starved to death. In the place resided the father and four children, who had actually slept on their wretched bed within two feet of the body • of their relative. The jury expressed the most unmingled horror and disgust that dwieodiribaenfore the arrival of the doctor, such a scene could take place in any civilized country. had been confined the day before the that the poor "creature had died from want of food. The husband had applied wbl before a oo p r a p e t a andt ed t t t hh h aa a t t t hs t ehh she died a d for relief but was refused unless they would all enter the workhouse. The husband was a hard-working man, but inquest was held at St. James's Workhouse, Poland-street, o u n na t b h l e e h to od fin_d of e A rn i P ar i 7li me a : the deceased had re tl cen y got ' her living by needlework. ier thl age th d e 6s s . am l e t a d p a p y ea a re n d ot t h h e a r t Her residence was unknown, but on Saturday night last she engaged half a bed from a woman named Margaret Parker, at No. 7, Husband-street, and agreed to pay Is. hd. a week for it. Deceased went to bed immediately, and on the followin mo rn ing 4d a ll the money she had, g •, was spent to get her some tea. She bad nothing whatever to eat but a halfpenny bun, but owing to weakness and great bodily debility, sbe was unable to swallow a mouth ful. She remained in the room without food until the fol lowing Tuesday, when an order for her removal to the workhouse was procured, and she was admitted on the same day. Her death took place the next evening, and it was the opinion of Mr. French, the parish surgeon, that she died from apoplexy. The surgeon thought she was in want of food, and the witness Parker said she was totally destitute, and in a starving condition. The room in which the deceased engaged the lodging was in size 8 f eet by 10, and much to the astonishment of the coroner and jury it was stated that five persons, four women and lad of 16, slept in it. Verdict—" Died from apoplexy." It was stated that deceased had been housekee per to many families of the highest respectAbilit y. ju an C ( as ao W t F.kise f" 1 11 otti