The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-05 00:00:00

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

THE army medical staff corps is to be increased-to 1,500,
being an addition of 300 to its original strength.
THE WIDOW OF M. GIBAIIT, of Valenciennes, famous for
having introduced the cultivation of chicory for mixing with
coffee, has just attained' her hundreth year, and is still in
excellent health.

MESSRS. STEPHENSON, SA.IILI, RANCO, AND OTHER EN-
GINEERS OF NOTE, are now making surveys for driving a
tunnel through the Mont Cenis. M. Ranco is of opinion that
this stupendous work may be effected at a cost of only

25,000,060 f.
A LETTER from Rome says—" Vesuvius is in' labour. The
signs which precede a violent eruption are apparent. There is
an esplanade upon the summit, which usually can be reached
without danger, but at present one would be stifled with the
sulphurous odour, and the noise is anything but reassuring.
AN extraordinary general meeting of the General Iron
Screw Collier Company is called for to-day, to reduce the capital
from £250,000 to £125,000, to make the shares of £25 each
instead of £5, and to bring the undertaking under the
Limited Liability Act.

ANOTHER meeting of• the new association of railway pro-
prietors was held on Wednesday, at the London Tavern, to
arrange for the organitation of a council of 100 members, of
whom 28, consisting of leading shareholders, were at once

nominated.
M. SWIDZINSICI, one of the richest landowners of Podolia,
has left to the city of Warsaw his library, consisting of more
than 30,000 rare and precious volumes, a collection of Slave
and Polish antiquities, a collection of Polish coins extending
to the most remote period, and,a magnificent gallery of paint-
ings, by masters of every school.
LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.—The directors
of this company have resolved to recommend to the pro-
prietors at the general meeting on the 14th instant, that the
dividend for the last half-year, be at the rate of £5 12s. 6d.
per cent. per annum on the capital, making with the previous
dividend, £5 per cent. for the year.
THE dissolution of the French Polytechnic School has been
decided upon, owing to its revolutionary character. It was
remarked that it passed the Imperial Guards silent to a man,
when every other corps was frenetique with enthusiasm.
The Empress, who was in a balcony, remarked the affront
thus offered to the army then drawn up in the Place Ven-
dome.
TELEGRAPHIC DIFFICULTIES IN TURKEY.—The submarine
telegraph cable, connecting the two shores of the Bosphorus,
has been immemed most successfully. Great difficulties arise
daily, however, nt the laying out of the wire on the top of
the houses at Scu`wi. The people are superstitious, and fear
that the evil spirit, in running through, might station itself
among then2.—Constantinople Correspondent of the 3forn-

ing Herald.
MORTAL STRUGGLE WITH A BEAR.--A few days ago a man
who was out shooting in the mountains found at the entrance
of a cavern the dead bodies of a man and a bear, clasped
together, but partially stripped of their flesh by vultures.
The man held a gun firmly grasped in one of his hands, and
this caused him to be recognised as the unfortunate shepherd,
Delvallez. It is clear that after mortally wounding the bear,
the animal must have seized and pressed him to death.—
Galignani.
MR. JAMES HATFIELD, for many years postmaster of
Huntingdon, has been summarily dismissed by the Post-office
authorities, and committed for trial by the local magistrates,
under the following circumstances :—ln November last, a Mr.
Fox took out a post-office order for 225., inclosing it in a letter
to Messrs. Du Barry, for "Arabica Food." The postmaster,
being agent for Du Barry, stopped the post-office order, and
directed the Arabica to be sent, by which he, of course, ob-
tained a commission.
THE master of a house in Sheffield, one day last week,
espied a burglar just as he was making his exit. The thief
got out safely and ran off, when the master of the house, who
had a dog, said, " Fan, go and catch him." The animal,
which was quite equal to the task, ran after the fellow, and,
coming up with him before he could get out of sight, seized
him and threw him down, without, however, doing him any
injury. The master following, secured the burglar, who was
brought before the magistrates the next day, and committed
for trial at York assizes.
THE PEACE CONGRESS AT PARIS.—The Constitutionnel
states its opinion that the Peace Congress will not be able to
commence its deliberations before the 20th or 25th of Febru-
ary. It also says that the signature of the preliminaries of
peace will be reserved for the Congress. The armistice also
will not, if the above version be accurate, take place till the
Congress meets. The Emperor has ordered apartments to be
prepared at the Elysee and elsewhere, for the official residence
of the members of the Peace Conferences.
THR TRIAL OF WILLIAM PALMER.—At the Court of
Queen's Bench, on Thursday, it was ordered that the trial of
William Telmer should be removed from Stafford. The
practical result of the success of the application will be that
the prisoner cannot be tried during the assizes. The bills of
indictment, when found against him by the grand jury at
Stafford, will forthwith be removed, by the operation of the
writ of certiorari, to the Court of Queen's Bench, and the
trial will take place either there, or, as is perhaps more pro-
bable, in the Central Criminal Court.
A FARM SERVANT'S LODGING.— On Saturday (says the
Windsor Express) a labouring man, named Jones, preferred
a charge of " misusage" against his master, a farmer at
Shinfield. During the proceedings it was stated that Jones
was hired as a yearly servant by the defendant, who was to
pay him a certain sum per week and find him lodging, such
lodging being a hurdle covered with straw, and suspended by
a rope from the ceiling of the harness-room. Jones alleged.,
among other " complaints," that this lodging was not pro-
vided, and that in consequence he was obliged to sleep in the
loft of a public-house.
CURE FOR HYDROPHOBIA.—M. Guerin-Meneville lately
brought before the French Academy of Sciences a means of
curing hydrophobia, which, he stated, is practised in Russia
with success. A little insect, the golden cetonides, found in
considerable quantities on rose-trees, is proved, when pounded
to a powder, and administered internally, to produce a profound
sleep, which sometimes lasts for 36 hours, and which has the
effect, in many cases, of completely nullifying the hydrophobic
affection. A distinguished entomologist, of Russia, M. Mots-
chouski, has tried several experiments with this insect, and in
most cases with success.
THREATENED IMPEACHMENT OF MINISTERS.—On Wed-
nesday, a public meeting was held at St. Martin's-hall, West-
minster, in compliance with an invitation placarded to the fol-
lowing effect :—" Do the men of Westminster desire peace at
any price ?" The Hon. Colonel Vereker moved the first reso-
lution, condemnatory of the proposed pacification, and declaring
the terms to be unsatisfactory. The resolution was seconded
by Mr. A. B. Richards. A stormy discussion followed, in
which Mr. Harris in vain attempted to move an amendment
of an opposite character, and eventually a resolution in favour
of the impeachment of ministers was almost unanimously
agreed to.
A SHORT TIME AGO, while a detachment of militia stationed
at Airdrie were out to drill, their commander ordered them
to " quick march ;" scarcely had they commenced when a voice
shouted " halt." The order was obeyed. The would-be-officer
would have remained unknown had not a lad been seen
darting across the fields. Muskets were instantly dashed to
the ground, and a general pursuit followed. After some time,
he was captured and taken to the police-office. He was tried
the same evening, on a charge of disorderly conduct, and
ordered to pay a fine of 2s. 6d., or go three days to prison.
Woomvicn ARSENAL.--A very extensive paper-mill is now
being constructed for the manufacture of cartridges upon an
improved principle. Hitherto cartridges have been made
from paper, but by the new process they will be manufactured
from pulp, and be entirely seamless. The labour required for
their production will be infinitely less by the new system.
A new building for the manufacture of small arms is to be
commenced forthwith, on a site near the east wharf, and plans
have been approved for a new foundry for large guns, which is
to be built near the new saw-mills.
RIGHTS OF FRENCH PROTESTANTS.— A telegraphic des-
patch brings the result of the judgment of the Imperial Court
of Orleans, in the interesting case of Captain Gcetschy, whose
relatives sought to deprive him of the custody of his children,
on the ground that he had lately become a convert to
Protestantism, and was about to bring them up in the
Protestant religion. The tribunal deciding in favour of the
rights of conscience and the natural authority of the father,
has quashed the resolution of the " family council," and de-
clared that Captain Gcetschy's religion affords no ground for
taking his children away from him.
DETECTION OF POISONS.—At the close of a lecture delivered
on Monday, at the Bristol Philosophical Institution, Mr. Wil-
liam Herapath, the eminent analytical chemist, took the oppor-
tunity of adverting to the state of alarm which had been pro-
duced in the public mind by the recent alleged secret poison-
ings at Rugeley, Manchester, and elsewhere. The apprehen-
sions which the cases to which he had referred had given rise
had, he said, been much increased by certain statements
which had been put forth, and which, as he understood them,
were these—that prussic acid could not be discovered in the
system at more than 14 days, that strychnia could only be
detected a few hours after death, and that coculus Indicus
could not be detected at all. Now he had himself detected
the presence of prussic mild in a human body after an inter-
' went of two months. He had found coculus Indicus in dead
fishes, and in a human body, after it had been buried for ten
months. The difficulties in the way of detecting poisons of
this class were not, therefore, so insurmountable as some sup-
posed ; and he hoped that the knowledge of the fact would
have the effect of reassuring the public mind.
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY AT EPSOM.— On
Tuesday, a numerous meeting of the inhabitants of Epsom
was held at the Assembly-rooms of the King's Head Hotel, to
receive a deputation from the executive committee, in explana-
tion of the objects and plans of the society, whose operations
are about to be actively extended to that district. The depu-
tation consisted of the Rev. Dr. Worthington, Mr. N. W.
Winstanley, and Mr. T. Knox Holmes, members of the
executive committee ; Mr. C. E. Lewis, solicitor, and Mr. C.
L. Gruneisen, secretary. The meeting was most numerously
and influentially attended. In the unexpected absence of
Viscount Ranelagh, the chairman, Mr. Knox Holmes, who
was called to preside, gave a very clear and forcible explana-
tion of the objects and principles of 'the society. He was
followed by the Rev. Dr. Worthington and Mr. C. E. Lewis,
in speeches of considerable length. On the motion of Mr.
Everest, seconded by Mr. Andrews, a very cordial resolution
was passed, expressing the confidence of the meeting in the
society, and promising active support. It was intimated, in
the course, of the proceedings, that early steps would be taken
to secure a local purchase of land at Epsom.
EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.—Tbe adjourned meeting,
for the declaration of the poll on Mr. Goodson s amendment, was
held on Tuesday, at the London Tavern, London. The meeting
was crowded, and little less noisy than usual. Mr. Wadding-
ton, having taken the chair, announced the return of the
scrutineers to be as follows :—For the amendment: Personal
votes 160, representing £277,340 stock, and 4,111 votes ;
proxies 552, representing £1,174,880 stock, and 17,014 votes ;
total proprietors 712, representing £1,452,220 stock, and
21,125 votes. Against the amendment : Personal votes 508,
representing £695,980 stock, and 11,710 votes ; proxies 175,
representing £231,500 stock, and 3,994 votes : total pro-
prietors 683, representing £927,480 stock, and 15,704 votes.
Majority for the amendment : 29 proprietors, representing
£524,740 stock, and 6,421 votes. The result, therefore, is
favourable to Mr. Waddington. Mr. Serjeant Gazelle moved
that the poll be printed ; a long, wandering, and turbulent
discussion followed ; Mr. E. Ball, Mr. Helps, Mr. Unwin, Mr.
Love, and others, speaking in favour of the motion, and Mr.
Challis and Mr. Cobbold, M.P., and the Chairman, not
approving it. The Chairman added that, so far as he could
judge from the letters he had read, those who had supported
him would glory at finding their names published. fie was
quite satisfied with the verdict of the shareholders, both
morally and legally. The motion was agreed to.