The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-09-18 00:00:00

ST. PETERSBURG journals announce that an exhibition of
fine arts will be held in that capital this year, in spite of
the war.

TEE QUEEN, in her visit to France, did not escape the
petitioning fraternity, for it is asserted that not fewer than
100,000 petitions or begging letters were forwarded to her !
THE beadle of a parish church in Easter Ross, being unable
a few Sundays ago to ring the church bell, climbed up to the
belfry, and discovered that a swallow had attached her nest to
the clapper.
THE satisfactory appearance of the vineyards in the pro-
vinces of Asti and Alessandria, in Italy, has lately led to a re-
duction of 30 per cent. in the price of wine, and the grapes
themselves are sold at a low price.
A CAST-STEEL BELL, weighing 5 cwt., has been placed in
the tower of St. Matthew's new church, in Sheffield. It was
cast by Messrs. Naylor and Co., of Millsands Works, Sheffield,
and is considerably cheaper than the ordinary bell metal.
Two magnificent stags' heads, with twelve points on each,
which were killed in Rhidorach Forest, Ross-shire, have been
fitted up as gas chandeliers, for the Marquis of Stafford, at
Dunrobin Castle. Each point of the antlers gives forth a jet
of gas.
LETTERS from Rome announce that in a consistory to be
soon held, the Pope intends to create a new religious and
military order, to be called " The Order of the Immaculate
Conception," and to consist of a hundred knights chosen ex-
clusively from princely families.
THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND has been expending
£50,000 a year in rebuilding cottages, farm-houses, and build-
ings, and on draining lands on his vast estates in Northum-
berland, to say nothing of the splendid improvements going
on in the stately castles of Alnwick and Warkworth.
TEE JEWISH NEW YEAR commenced on Thursday. This
is one of the most interesting of the many festivals of this
peculiar people, and is celebrated by Jews all over the world.
It lasts four days, and during that period there is no work
done, from the highest to the humblest.
FALKIRK TRYST.—The September sheep market was held
on Monday last week, on the usual stance at Stenhouse-muir.
The show of stock was the smallest which has been witnessed
at a September market for the last quarter of a century.
There were few dealers on the ground, and the sales were any-
thing but brisk.
A PRIVATE in the Royal Artillery, John Neale by name, has
been committed for the manslaughter of Andrew Williams,
another private, during a drunken quarrel in the Cambridge
barracks at Portsmouth. The deceased interfered between two
others, when Neale fell upon him and beat him about the
head with a scrubbing-brush till he was dead.
TyrE Ost Deutsch Post states that the fortune left by the
late Baron Dietrich of Vienna to his grandson, Prince Sulkow-
sky; amounts to 18 millions of florins (about 4•5 millions of
francs.) There were found in a cellar 22 bags, each containing
1,000 ducats
-in gold (the ducat is over 11 francs), and in
different chests securities, out of date and lost, for a sum of I
188,000 florins.

ADVANCE IN PRICES.—A general advance in the price of
white and brown sugar, and also candles, took place last week
in London. For the latter article, which has hitherto been
6id. per lb., an advance of ld. has taken place, and for brown
and white sugar the increase has been Id. per lb. ; added to
this, intimation has been given to shopkeepers that an ad-
vance will take place in salt.
A SPORTING LADY.—Among the persons who have taken
out game certificates in the county of Leicester for the present
year is a lady, who is housekeeper in the service of a clergyman,
and by her skill materialiy assists in filling the larder, which
has always been celebrated for its profusion. The exact
number of head of game which fell to her gun on the two first
days are the same as the number of summers which have
rolled over her head—namely, seven and a half brace of birds,
a quarter of hares, and the same number of rabbits.

SUPPLY OF WATER TO GLAsGow.—During the last week,
from Monday to Saturday, the Glasgow Water Company
forced into Glasgow 87,780,000 gallons, being on an average
14,280,000 gallons per day. Adding to this the daily supply
furnished to the south side of the river by the Gorbals Water
Company, of about 3,000,000 gallons, the whole supply of
water amounts to 17,280,000 gallons per day, for a population
of 400,000, being upwards of 40 gallons per day for each
inhabitant.

CAVALRY FOR TIIE EAST.—Orders have been sent to the
Colonel-Commandant at Maidstone, to hold in readiness all
the available unattached to the 10th Hussars, 12th Lancers,
and 13th Light Dragoons, for immediate embarkation for
the Crimea. It is expected that the depot will furnish upwards
of 200 disciplined men. Reinforcements will also proccod to
join the Ist and sth Dragoon Guards, 2nd Scots Greys, 4th
Light Dragoons, 6th Inniskillens, Bth Hussars, and 17th
Lancers, and in addition the 7th Hussars at York, and 13th
Hussars at Manchester, have been placed under orders for
foreign service.
WHAT THE GERMANS THINK OF THE FALL OF SEBASTO-
roL.—The correspondent of the Daily News, writing from
Hamburg, on the 11th instant, says :—" The glorious news of
the fall of Sebastopol was received here with great enthusi-
asm and general rejoicing. The quotations of all descriptions
of funds, shares, and other securities—with the exception of
Russian stock—have advanced, and large purchases have been
made. It is generally expected that in consequence of the
great success in the Crimea, something more will be attempted
in the Baltic before the close of the campaign. It is consi-
dered here not too late to strike a blow at Cronstadt or Revel,
and now is the time, when the enemy is panic-struck by the
loss of his supposed impregnable strongholds in the south."
Loss OF A TRANSPORT.—The Tagus, arrived at South-
ampton, brings intelligence of the loss of the Canterbury
transport, No. 80, off Viana, on the sth instant. She was on
her passage from Corfu to Portsmouth, with 63 rank and file,
49 women, and 58 children, all of whom were saved. The
crew, consisting of 30 men, have arrived home by the Tagus.
'JOHN CARLISLE, who had embarked with his wife by the
fitwernzcz- for Southampton, was noticed by the
passengers to be in a state of lutoxioation, and was frequently
remonstrated with by the captain and others. Presently he
was missed, and on arriving at the latter port on Sunday, it
was found that he had fallen down the hold amongst some
forty or fifty horned eattle, where he had been trodden upon,
and suffocated in the animals' filth.

CURIOUS CHARGE or FORGERT.—A young man of respect-
able family, named Boiron, was lately tried by the Court of
Assizes for forgery, and two other respectable young men,
named Seailles and Piquet, were tried with him as his accom-
plices. The case was rather curious :—Seailles and Piquet,
who are students, had to undergo examinations, in order to
obtain the degree of bachelor of sciences ; but fearful of being
rejected, they got Boiron to personate them, and he passed
the examination for them under their names, and was passed
in their place. To obtain a degree it is necessary for the can-
didates to sign certain documents, and Boiron, on one occa-
sion, signed the name of Seailles, and on another, that of
Piquet. The jury acquitted Seailles and Piquet, and convicted
Boiron. The court sentenced the latter to three years' im-
prisonment, and 100 fr. fine.
ABD-EL-KADER IN PARIS.—Abd-el-Kader has arrived in
Paris. His health continues to improve. He brought with
him some magnificent presents for the Empress and the
ladies of the court. The present for the Empress consists of
a pair of slippers so richly set with precious stones as to be
worth 20,000 piastres, and a rich carpet for the side of a bed.
The Princess Mathilde is to receive a rich coffee service in
chased silver, in the fashion of Constantinople, and on the
salver the Emir has caused to be engraved some Arab verses,
complimentary to the Princess. A splendid embroidered
napkin covers the salver, and it alone is worth 5,000 piastres.
Accompanying the service is a quantity of Mocha coffee, and
also a mill to grind it, so that the Princess will be able to
drink coffee exactly as it is prepared in the seraglio. The
other objects brought by the Emir consist of pipes, nargilhos,
carpets, scarfs, and other oriental articles.
A "GENTLEMAN" SWlNDLER.—Considerable excitement
has been caused in Shrewsbury during the past week. An
individual who had, some twenty years ago, resided in that
town, returned thither recently, and renewed his acquaintance
with several families. He was accompanied by a young lady,
represented as his daughter, and both received invitations to
partake of the hospitality of many of the principal residents.
The "gentleman" stated that he had just succeeded to a large
fortune, and purposed settling down in Shrewsbury; and suc-
ceeded in obtaining loans of money to the amount of several
hundred pounds from professional gentlemen, giving as se-
curity bills drawn by his " Irish tenantry?' Circumstances,
however, awakened suspicion that the bills were not genuine,
and the "gentleman" was watched by the police, who followed
the young lady from her lodgings in Shrewsbury to the rail-
way station, and thence to Birmingham, where she was joined
by her " papa." Subsequent events dispelled the relationship
of the parties, and the police took the gentleman into custody,
toThperosyecouuntge
and before the magistrates. Concealed upon his person was
thelt
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rhilfesiooLpr
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raKooosefe
loy
oked his
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Shrewsbury.intended
Monday last about 120 of the boys
employed in some of the ship-building yards in the town
struck work for an advance of wages of from 4s. and 4s. 6d. to
ss. per week. In thus following the reprehensible example
sometimes set them by "children of a larger growth," they
were unfortunately the cause of throwing several men out of
employment, whose work depended in some measure upon the
presence of the boys. In other respects the strike—though
bearing heavy enough upon some of the parents of those con-
cerned in it—was rather amusing than disastrous, so long as
it lasted, and a little mirth was created by the firmness which
they threatened to display before they would "give in," and
the annoyance to which they subjected all "blacklegs" and
" black faces," it might be added, who would not "come out "
and aid them in their struggle. On being talked with on the
subject they expressed themselves quite as sanguine as their
seniors usually do on such occasions regarding the result of
their strike. 'Ay," said they, " the masters can get men, but
they cannot get boys, aud • then wha'll beet the rivets ? The
ship may joost lie for twa or three weeks; it 'ill no spoil, and it
does us guid to be idle a wee." The result showed that they
had not miscalculated very widely, for on Wednesday the
asked-for advance was made, and all hands went to work.
Beyond the breaking of a few fences, and the robbery of an
orchard
whi
tehr e
anya n and
rtehaet
er er,
calamity
mb
tl iye
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eneodt. be nu at-
tended.
barton Herald.
FATAL EXPLOSION.—A sad accident occurred on Friday
afternoon, at Messrs. Booth and Vickers' naphtha works, Hors-
ley-fields, Wolverhampton. Shortly after two o'clock a terrific
explosion was heard, and a sheet of flame rushed through the
houses adjoining the works, driving out the windows and
scorching the rooms. One of the houses was occupied by a
woman named Christina Garrality, who was near her confine-
ment, and who, with her child, four years of age, were alone
in the house. On hearing the noise, she caught up her child
and rushed out of the house ; but the devouring flames de-
prived her child of life, and burned her body so fearfully that
her recovery is hopeless. The other house was occupied by
Elizabeth Harley, her daughter, and an infant. Harley
snatched up the child, and wrapping it in her dress, ran into
a pantry, which preserved them from severe injury; but the
daughter was severely burned, and conveyed to the hospital.
On the opposite side of the house, the volumes of smoke and
duopwwoitfht flames.
clarifying He
ng then
flame were seen for miles. Only one man was in the yard at
the time of the explosion ; he was named Barnard Maley, and
lie first attempted to escape by a doorway, but it was choked
attemtphtaedt
proved
vgedet
too small. through theA win-
dow
was then made in the roof with a boat-hook, and the poor
-
fellow scrambled up to it, holding on the roof with his hands.
A ladder was sent for, but before it arrived, he sank down
into the burning mass, and perished. Several engines were
shed, but
speedily on the spot, and with a copious supply of water from
the canal the flames were prevented from extending, and in
about an hour were subdued. It appears probable that the
accident was caused by a cinder or spark from the furnace
falling into a cask of naphtha, which ran n tLe pipes and re-
sulted in the sudden explosion. Large casks of nap4ha out-
-8141 the hulldings were merely scorched by the Barnett

THE CHARGE OF PARRICIDE AT BATH.-Thomas Tutton,
charged with attempting to poison his father, was finally exa-
mined on Friday last. The presence of arsenic in the food
given to the father was clearly proved. The prisoner, who
reserved his defence, was committed for trial.
las. NORTON, the wife of a clerk in the goods office of the
South-eastern Railway, expired on Saturday morning from the
effects of the collision, and another of the sufferers, Mrs.
Snowden, remains in a most critical condition. She has a
compound fracture of the left leg, and the bone has not been
set. Mr. Skinner, who received a compound fracture of the
left leg, and the other sufferers are going on favourably.
RECANTATION OF SIR WILLIAM DUNBA.R.-Sir William
Dunbar, who some years ago was excommunicated by Bishop
Skinner, for schismatical practices, and who defeated the
Primus in the civil courts, and put him to costs amounting to
some £1,500, having some time ago resigned his incumbency
at St. Paul's, Aberdeen, and returned to England, with a view
to take English preferment, has been refused institution,
until the process of Bishop Skinner should be withdrawn. In
consequence of this he applied to the College of Bishops in
Scotland, with a formal expression of his sorrow and contri-
tion " for having seceded from the Scottish Episcopal
Church," whereupon Bishop Skinner has, with the unanimous
consent of his Synod, granted him absolution.
A YOUTH was charged at Bow-street on Saturday with
stealing the watch of an Egyptian engineer, M. Chahata Issa.
The magistrate decided on committing him for trial. " Give
me my watch," said the Egyptian gentleman, who spoke what
little he knew of the English in an animated style. "Me no
be bothered in dis way. Me no appear again. I have wasted
mush time since already, and I waste no more unless you pay
to me a guinea for every hour !" The worthy foreigner was
assured he would not be detained long at the Old Bailey.
" The old who ?" The process of the trial was explained to
him, but it was long before the officer could get him to accept
the notice to attend at the sessions. The prisoner avowed
his innocence, and complained that the Egyptian nearly
strangled him.
LONG SPEECHES IN PARLIAMENT.-Speaking of Lord
Stanley's plan for terminating the session in June, the In-
verness Courier says :-" A great deal might be done if the
newspapers would unite, and agree to cut down the reports
to mere summaries, except in the case of a statesman who
really had something to say. There need be no fear of
difference of opinion arising -leave the question to the re-
porters' gallery, where there is only one opinion, namely,
that the members are nearly all humbugs, and that all the
speeches are three-fourths too long. If a talking bore could
hear the comments that come between his sentences, I don't
know whether he would be amused. ' That's right, say it
again-you haven't repeated it more than nine times yet.'
`Bah ! trying to pick out a long word, because a short one
would make it clear; he is talking nonsense.' Why, the
last speaker said that; what are you stealing his notions for?'
`Looking up, actually, as if he thought anybody would take
down such bosh,' &c. Another way would be to print, for a
fortnight, all that the members say, and exactly as they
say it."
HORRIBLE MURDER IN FRANCE.-A horrible murder has
just been discovered at Belville, close to Paris. On Saturday
last, the inhabitants of the Rue des Annelets, having re-
marked that a lady named Gaillard, aged 55, living at No. 7,
had not made her appearance for a couple of days, called the
attention of the police to the fact. The house, which con-
sisted of but one story, and had no porter, having been
opened by order of the magistrate, the body of the unfortu-
nate lady was found lying upon the floor in a pool of coagu-
lated blood. It was ascertained that the murderer had used
some heavy instrument to inflict the wounds which caused
the death of his victim. The chest of drawers, desk, and
every other kind of repository, had been ransacked, apparently
for the family papers of the deceased ; but a pair of diamond
ear-rings and a diamond ring were still on her person, and
two gold watches were hanging up near the bed untouched.
The murderer has not yet been discovered.-*Gilignani.
THREE YOUTHS DROWNED.-A very deplorable casualty
occurred on Thursday afternoon, in the neighbourhood of He-
versham, which has occasioned much painful excitement in that
neighbourhood, three of the youths belonging to the Hever-
sham Grammar School having met with an untimely end by
drowning, while bathing on Heversham-marsh. It appears
that the head-master had given permission to a number of the
scholars to bathe at the spot mentioned, and one of the elder
pupils, Edward Joseph Godwin, who was about 20 years of
age, and who was one of the unfortunate three who perished,
went before to look out for a proper spot ; the under-master,
Mr. John Parker, shortly after followed, with a number of the
other scholars, in company with the music-master, Mr. Hud-
son. Godwin and two other youths named Cowell and Rigby,
18 and 19 years of age respectively, were in the water when
the second-master arrived, and were seen by another youth,
Edwin James Horicks, an acquaintance of theirs, but not a
schoolfellow, to launch a piece of wood into the water. It
floated, and they were about it, when Godwin, who was
nearest, called out for assistance, appearing to be out of his
depth, and Cowell and Rigby immediately went to his
aid. Cowell reached him first, and Rigby came up just
afterwards, but they both went under water, as did also God-
win. Both perished in their effort to save their companion.
Another scholar, John Taylor Mawson, about 15 years of age,
went into the water to look for the bodies, but nothing could
be seen of them, and it was not till after 8 o'clock that they
were recovered near where they were observed to go down, a
number of people speedily repairing to the spot, and two boats
being procured to assist in the search. At the place where
the bodies were found there is a break in the sand, and it is
very deep. The second-master had examined the spot the day
before, and did not observe then any break in the sand. An
inquest was held the following day, at Heversham, on the body
of Mr. E. G. Godwin, and a verdict returned of " Accidentally
drowned."-Kendal Mercury.
POPULATION AND TILE POOR Liw.-On Tuesday a return
was published of the population of the unions and parishes
(without unions) in England, Scotland, and Ireland, showing
the amount of workhouse accommodation in each, for the year
ending the 31st of December, 1854. It hence appears that in
England and Wales, the population amounting to 17,827,407,
the workhouee .ecommodation in 1854 was 211,669. In Ire-
land, with a population of 0,552,055, the workhouse accommo-
dation on the 30th of December, 1864, was 214,281. In the
return from Scotland, as is generally the case, the secretary of
the Board of Supervison has not taken the trouble to cast out
the grand totals. The following is the amount of populat ion
and workhouse accommodation in the counties of England-
viz.,
in Bedford, 129,430 (population), and 2,080 (work-
house accommodation) ; in Berks, 199,139 and 4,031; in
Bucks, 143,629 and 2,489 ; in Cambridge, 191,338 and
3,002; in Chester, 413,434 and 2,898; in Cornwall,
346,240 and 3,519 ; in Cumberland, 194,540 and 1,917 ; in
Derby, 259,924 and 2,079 ; in Devon, 563,413 and 6,264 ; in
Dorset, 176,898 and 2,543; in Durham, 408,887 and 2,027 ; in
Essex, 343,379 and 6,313 ; in Gloucester, 418,984 and 6,573 ; in
Hereford, 110,697 and 1,378 ; in Herts, 188,685 and 3,472 ; in
Huntingdon, 60,085 and 882 ; in Kent, 614,218 and 11,512 ;
in Lancaster, 2,094,800 and 17,282; in Leicester, 234,196 and
3,591; in Lincoln, 398,106 and 4,053 ; in Middlesex, 1,878,379
and 25,134 ; in Monmouth, 177,043 and 1,168 ; in Norfolk,
436,525 and 8,203 ; in Northampton, 209,866 and 2,789 ; in
Northumberland, 301,388 and 1,986; in Nottinghamshire,
274,630 and 3,162 ; in Oxford, 168,772 and 2,872 ; in Rutland,
24,214 and 279 ; in Salop, 249,415 and 3,397 ; in Somerset,
461,578 and 6,094; in Southampton, 403,463 and 7,277 ; in
Stafford, 534,438 and 5,419 ; in Suffolk, 333,905 and 6,999 ;
in Surrey, 677,098 and 10,155 ; in Sussex, 338,930 and 7211 ,•
in Warwick, 458,493 and 4,374 ; in Westmoreland, 58,349 and
880 ; in Wilts, 240,100 and 4,857; in Worcester, 384,088 and
3,185; in York, East Riding, 239,776 and 2,615; in the North
Riding, 192,222 and 1,751; and in the West Riding, 1,293,798
and 6,921.

TRIAL OP THE LUXEMBOURG RAILWAY DIRECTORS:.
The " tribunal of first instance" sat on the 6th instant at
Brussels, for the purpose of trying Messrs. John Ashwell,
John Masterman, and Sir William Magnay, prosecuted, ex
officio, upon charges of fraud, in connexion with Luxembourg
railway shares. Mr. Ashwell, who has long been in prison,
and subject to rigorous seclusion, was the only one present of
the three accused. Among the English witnesses for the pro-
secution heard were Messrs. Matthew Uzielli, Thomas Cox-
head, and Thomas Klose, of Nottingham, all three immedi-
ately connected with the Luxembourg line. The main charge
against the defendants appears to be—for having converted to
their own benefit and purposes, or to other purposes considered
illegal, several thousand shares, amounting to 3,000 in 1849,
and 7,500 in 1851; for having received interest on portions of
the same ; and for directing these misapplications to be en-
tered in the books or balance sheets of the company as sums
disbursed for purchases of land, and for defraying legal, engi-
neering, and parliamentary" expenses. In reply to the
question from the judge, " Whether the shares which were
sent to Belgium by the defendants were accounted for in the
company's books under the latter head ?" Mr. Coxhead ob-
served, Yes ;in England, when railway grants are made,
divers secret expenses ensue. They are regarded as perfectly
regular, and are entered as " parliamentary" expenses. They
may be thus explained :—" When a line is to be constructed,
the first thing done is to employ an agent called parliamen-
tary. He is a person learned in the law, but not a regular
barrister recognised by the courts. He is a sort of private
agent. When a railway grant is conceded in England, it is
necessary to give shares to landholders, to owners of property
on river banks, and to newspaper directors. If they choose to
pay up the first call, they may. In case shares rise, they do.
If shares fall, they are not asked for the difference. The
company then purchase of them these shares, and pay the
difference in order to balance the general account of share-
holders." This system, so detrimental apparently as regards
the general interests of bond fide shareholders, seemed to asto-
nish the court, and all the uninitiated, and may be fairly said
to be founded upon that reversed of " tails you lose—heads I
win." On the 7th the Tribunal Correctional acquitted the
directors of the Luxembourg Railway of the charge of em-
bezzlement :—John Ashwell, as being already proscribed ;
William Magnay and John Masterman, because offence not
sufficiently proven by evidence.
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.—The report of the Select
Committee of the House of Lords on the best mode of obtain.
ing accurate agricultural statistics from all parts of the
United Kingdom, with the evidence taken before them, has
just been issued. Mr. Leone Levi, who attended the Statis-
tical Congress, held at Brussels, two years ago, which took
this question into consideration, was one of the witnesses ex-
amined. He had prepared a plan for the collection of such
statistics, which lie submitted last year to the Society of Arts.
He proposed the establishment of a central board, authorised

to collect annual returns of the total acreage, and also the

acreage of the several crops, of each parish in England and
Wales, through the local Boards of Guardians, and in Scot-
land through the Highland Society. In his evidence, how-
ever, Mr. Levi stated that he had seen reason to doubt the

_ -
expediency of using the agency of the Poor-law Guardians,
owing, as he says, to the unpopularity which surrounds them,
and the reasons which they have themselves given, that they
cannot obtain the co-operation of the agriculturists, and that
gentlemen refuse to co-operate, owing to the small remune-
ration and the prevalence of party feeling among them. Seeing
what has been done by the Registrar-General in the collection
of the census, Mr. Levi considers that would be the best
medium through which to collect these statistics, which he
thinks might be obtained in the same way, by leaving
schedules to be filled up with the required information, and
forwarded to the Central Board on or before the first of June
in each year. Inspectors should also be appointed on the
recommendation of the Inclosure and Copyhold Commis-
goners, to make an inspection and estimate of the crops in
September, and transmit the latter to the Central Board.
This board should be in connection with the Board of Trade,
in order that nothing of a political character should be as-
cribed to it. The committee recommend, in their report, that
the Board of Trade should be entrusted with the general
superintendence of the collection of the statistics in Great
Britain, through the medium of the Poor-law machinery in
England and Wales, and of the Highland Society in Scotland ;
and that the Irish Government, in continuing to superintend
the collection for Ireland through the constabulary, should
consult with the Board of Trade from time to time on the
subject, for the purpose of securing uniformity in the returns.