The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-08-21 00:00:00

dividends, while it will strengthen the demand for
the interference of the legislature to protect the public
from the evils of a monopoly which was granted for
the public advantage,

1 While upon this Sullieet, it may not be amiss to call
I attention to the present value of railway property,
which appears by the quoted market price of shares
to be considerably below its intrinsic worth as an
investment of capital. There is no doubt that much
of this distrust arises from the large amount of capital
which has been expended in law charges, in senseless
competition, and in the construction of unprofitable
branches to trunk lines. Something also of the
present depression is owing to the recent diminished
dividends ; but both causes have been allowed to have
too much weight in weakening public confidence. In
the first place, the experience which Directors have so
deaily bought should be allowed to have its influence
in consideration of the prospects of the future, as it
can hardly be supposed that the battle of the gauges
or any similar contest, involving great cost and little
or no return, will have again to be fought in the
present position of railway property. In the next
place, with regard to the dividends, it should be
remembered that those just declared are from the
earnings of the first-half year, at all times the least
productive, and the more so on this occasion,
which included the long frost and severe weather,
when traffic was almost brought to a stand-still, and
expenses were very heavy. The next return will
comprise all the busy time of the summer and autumn,
when every body is travelling, when fares are low,
aria excursion trains numerous. As we remarked
before, these will swell the receipts, and enable the
'directors at the next half-yearly meetings to restore
'the dividends, and with "them the market value of the
shares.

BANKRUPTCY COVET, YRSTEPDAY.—(Before COMlNiMiater
Perry.)—Re Crippin and 'Foster, bankrupts, who were lately
the lessees of the Royal -Rock Ferry, came up for their latSt
examination. Ne balance-shcet having been filed, the case
was adjourned unathe lOth cf September.—Re Jvlati :Penton,
bankrupt, a surgeon in Great George-street, applied 'for his
certificate. lie obtained an immediate one, but of The second
class only.

THE MERSEY UdTEL e.ND DINING-ROOXS.—An establish-
ment under thislitle has been opened by Mr. Will:am Frank-
lin, in Lancelot's-hey. From his general attention to business,
his great experience, and his liberality in proViding for the
accommodation of hie guests, Mr. Franklin is entitled to• a
large share of public patronage. His new premises are roomy,
clean and well-ventihted, and from the central-situation of the
house, it will afford convenient accommodation to a large por-
tion of the commercial classes.

OCULAR DE446'S9TRATION NOT SKTMCItNT 'FOR LEGrzg.l,
PROOF.—On Saturday, and again yesterday, a very singular
case occupied -112 e attention of Wm. Cropper, Esq. end
Hardman Esq., the two borough magistrates. presiiaing
at the Police-court. The circumstances, as elicited in the
examinations; are these. On the evening ef the 7th of:July,
Mr. James' Ockleston, a young man in business iii this town,
was in the "Argyle-ronms, Newiteg.ton, When a fight took place
between some of the company. He interfered,,and attempted
to separhte the combatants, when be 'received a sudden and
severe 'blow on the nose. At the same time' his watch and
a gold:- Albert chain were stolen from his person. He in-
formed the police of the robbery at 'the time, and also Jno.
Joseph Bates, the well-known detective. A few days ago
Batesteld him he thought he knew-who had his-chain, and
pointed oat the names of some parties who had been brought
before she Police-court On Bridny evening Mr. Ockleston
met-one of these parties in Lime-street, wearing openly what
he believed to be his chain. The person in question is
a well-dressed young man, Who is well known-to the police,
having been in custody on suspicion once or twice, and who
god -iv the name of Wm. Stanley. Mr. Ockleston at once
gave-Stanley into the erts'tody-of police-officer, and charged
film with the robbery. He told the 'officer that'his chain had
a particular mark near one -end,•Which had been caused by a
fracture. He took the chaininto-_a shop close by for the pur-
pose of examining it, and at first pronounced it not to be his,
but on looking again, he found'What be deposed-to be the mark
-near the other end, the chain,- as he supposed, having been
turned since he had lest 'it. Stanley was accordingly taken
to ibridewell. On Saturday, Mr. 'Kane, of :Dale-street, said
that he had sold the prosecutorachain 'exactly like that found
,-onithe prisoner, but he -could not swear that it was the same
.012 C. The prisoner, in hi&defeneo, said that-the chain in ques-
tion had been in his possesSion long-before the alleged rob-
hery took place, and that he had bought itat Hull. A wit-
nese whom lie called, however, 'FA:id-that he had told her that
,he got it at Scarborough. Yesterday he called Mr. Rushton,as-
-sistaut to Mr. Meadows, pawnbroker, Fonteney -street, who said
that, on the 18th December, a young man, NatOM he could not
swear to, pledged a watch, With a chain attached, similar to
the- one in dispute, for 205.:; that• on the -same day it was re-
-deemed, and re-pledged for 405., by the prisoner ; and that on
theYith of January it was again redeemed, and re-pledged for
50s. Upon this evidence the 'magistrates decided' that the
prolicutor had not sufficiently made out the identity of the
:watch, and ordered the prisoner to be discharged. His
-attorney then applied fer the watch and elain taken from him'
'to be restored ; but the magistrates would make no order 'in
the =tatter, merely directing the officer to:gire up the article&
to- Superintendent Clough, 'whom they-left to decide upon- the`
• &natty point of ownership.

.WIZA.T THE POLICE HATE "TO SUFFER IN THE EXECI7-
; MOLT (OF THEIR DUTT.—On Saturday, :about midnight, a
ruffianly-looking fellow, who.gave the name of William Bart-,
ley,tcreated a disturbance in Preseot-street with an• unfor-
tunhe female, and was so abusive that the inhabitants called
for a policeman to remove him. Officer 660, who was on duty.
nearthe spot, ordered him to go home,' but he only became
noore.abusive than before, and the • officer then attempted to
take. him into custody. Bartley, seeing that the officer was
alone, commenced a most ,brutal attack on him, knocked
him-down, kicked him several times, and-then made off. He
was punned through several-streets, and at last taken into eus-
tod.y. yesterday he was brought-before Mr. Mansfield at the Po-
lice-court, when he pleaded that he was drunk,end did not know
what -he was doing.—Mr. Mansfield Drunkenness is no ex-
cuse for these disgraceful assaults upon the 'Ake ; it is rather
an aggravation of the offence. Yon must pay a penalty of £5,
and costs, or go to gaol for three months.--The prisoner was
removed in custody. The following was a very-similar case :
Police-cone:able 403, Thomas Boyd,.of-the;fire brigade,.who
appeared in plain clothes, with his head.bound up, said that
he was ontduty in Rose-hill a little after twelve o'clock on
Sunday night, when he was called upon to take a man into
custody for abasing a woman in Grosvenor-street. He appre-
hended the :assailant, and was taking him.-along, when two
men rushed ,cut of an entry, and by a simultaneous attack
knocked ,him :down. One of them kicked him his left
arm, and the .other did the same to his side. The man he
had had in .custody then seized his (the officees) baton, the
,candle of whieh.,was projecting from his pocket, and inflicted
.a severe blow on the front of
othethfoe gretaudn,d.hiFclourfr .Fortunately
ibis skull, and leftbim bleeding n
at this junctare officer 141 came up, and ptoteeted him from
further violence. Haying obtained assistance )141 took the
othtavcermoenne, Nevsheciaped.ruilad,T_
101 out
woundede 0t f enta, iceriato cuswastatoidieny, butto
the
haßos.ed,4e-heilnl Dunisapbeniale
tor3r-.opmeerehhisisdlurto;ndrsrhlNe-eit.ewdernelseiseid%,-Lbout
ilande
been arrested were in the dock. They were brother, named
respectively John and William Joyce, of remarkably revilsiv.e
appearance. To a very -stout built frame and short bull'
neck were added featurfs of a decidedly Calinuck caste,
namely, great breadth aetcss the upper part of the jaws, with .
puffed up cheeks, lurking eyes, and a sullen ferocious expres-
sion impressed over the whole countenance. Mr. Mansfield
said to thens :—You are a apple of dastardly ruffians, and you
must go to gaol for three months, or pay a penalty of £5. and
.costs ; and yen deserve more.—Murmurs of approval through-
rout the court,9.ppeared to greet this decision.

WHOLESALETRAUD UPON Ri..W.NEROKERS.—WiIIiam 'ROC-
buck, a tall, dart-complexioned man, having the appearance of
a mechanic dressed in holiday attire, was charged with defraud-
ing several pawnbrokers of this town by pledging watch chains
as silver which were really not so. Before the case came on,
Mr. Bluck, the attorney, said he had: been retained to defend
the prisoner, and he held an order fora guinea, his fee, which
'he desired might be paid out of ,E 7 which was found
upon tie prisoner :when apprehended. The bench
granted the application, and Mr. Bluek pocketed his fee
The first witness, James Rawsthorne, assistant to Mr. Worth-.
irigton, Oldhall-street, said that the prisoner pledged a chain
on the 16th of July, which he represented to be silver, re-
ceiving 10s. upon it. He pledged another similar chain on
the 4th inst, upon which he received an advance. The chain
was subjected to a chemical test, which it at first stood, but
on trying another part they discanred it to be German silver,
electro-plated. The prisoner came again on Saturday, and
offered two more chains of the same sort, upon which he ob-
tained 20s. Mr. Wybergh (to witness) : Did you think they
were silver P—Witness No, not that time.—Mr. Wybersh
There's au end to the case, then.—Mr. Washington explained
that lie had instructed his assistant to be cautious when the
wan came again, in order that he might entrap him.—Afa
assistant of Mr. Parley, London-road, said that the prisoner
came to their place on the 16th of June, with a silver watch
and chain, upon which he wished to raise 305., saying that he
required money to enable him to go to Nottingham. He
lent him 245. ; and on Saturday morning the prisoner brought
two more chains, which he represented to be silver, saying that
one of them was the one he had pledged and redeemed before.
Witness found he never had redeemed the chain, and he then
applied the test, and found the chains were spurious metal,
wiijch had been rubbed in grease to take off the appearance of
' the new... -iess An assistant from Messrs. Critchley and Eus-
tance said tha.: the prisoner
wished to pledge a watch there
on Saturday month,'
and failing to procure the amount he
two similar chains to the others,
wanted, he then produce,:
upon which he obtained 15s, Mr. ' Bluck in defending the
done, " there would
prisoner, said, "If an attorney was . bebe said, "Oh ! it
be no commiseration for him ;it wont,: nawnbroker
served him perfectly right. Now, I think, if a
then
is `done,' it serves him right." (Laughter.) Mr. Blum
urged that his client had not represented the chains to be 'stet.:
ling silver.' He had merely said 'silver,' and they were sil-
ver,—German silver, plated over. It was probable, too, that '
he might himself have been" done"—led into purchasing theni
under the belief that they really were silver. Inspector Kehoe
applied for a remand. Mr Bluck : I don't know what good a
remand could do, as it would only bring forward a few more
fools. (Laughter.) I always thought the pawnbrokers were
clever fellows, but I shall think they know nothing of their
business after this. Do you think, sir (to the bench) there is
any case against the prisoner ? Magistrate : You see he made
use of the word ' silver' in order to obtain more money.
There is quite sufficient evidence to remand the case until to-

morrow. Inspector Kehoe : There are 14 or 15 more cases
against him, sir. Mr. Charles Batten, secretary to the Pawn-
brokers' Association, said that the chains would have to be
sem; to Chester, to be assayed at the Government office there,
and a longer remand would be u.Nclsgry, cpg y(as tinkt
glidocl until Friday,