Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-07-25 00:00:00

NORTHERN DAILY TIMES'

SUPPOSED MURDER.

On Saturday last

Deputy—

John Thompson, aged foul7ndafiallyears, who had come
by his death under suspicious circumstances, as shown by the
following 'evidence

wife of John Thompson, a palice constable, and reside at
Conway-street, Everton. The deceased was my son, and
was four and a half years of age. I saw him safe at twenty-
five minutes to nine o'clock on Thursday evening, in the'
street. I went into the house to undress another cild, and
in a short time after I told my servant girl, Mary Ann
Gibbons, to go and "fetch John." She went out, and came
back in a minute and said, " He is not there, Mrs. Thomp-
son." I said "He must be there," and went out to
look, but could not see him. She said he must hay'
been taken away, for he could not have
quickly. The servant was sent to look for him again
and I went to inquire from the neighbours. A little boy,
who had been playing with my son in the street, said to me
that he saw a woman go down Gordon-street with him ;
" the woman had a yellow face." He said he was
certain he was not mistaken. The ' boy's name is Geoige
Hill. I then told the Girl to R. D- -

zone away so

take the little boy with her'; but, instead of going, she went
into the shop and stayed there, but I thought she was gone.

away again

ro one went with her

I wanted her to go

not see the girl for hours

drowned. I did not see my child till to-day at the dead-
house. It was about two miles from the place where the
body was found, to my house.

Mary Ann Gibbons was the next witness examined : Sh
said—l am fifteen years of age. My fath
my mother lives at 65, New Audley-street

I went to live

Thursday eyenineseeing the boy A the 'same time as his
mother saw him. I was at the door, along with Mrs.
Thompson, when I saw him playing in the street, and com-
ing towards the house. I -went in, and Mrs. Thompson sat
down to undress the baby, and told me to CM and fetch

'ent to thre door and looked round
I went in and told Mrs. Thompson

evening her mother went out between six and seven o'clock
for grains and swili for the cows and pigs, and took a

3rown, was

mirers of Mr. C

thrown into the bargain,

circumstance that the

MUSICAL; DRAMATIC;- LITERARY,
ARTISTIC. NEWS AND GOSSIP.

AND

er tile head of " Musical and' Dramatic Gossip" the
Atheneum observes :—" The tremendous weather of the
past week has told, of course, on our public entertainments,
though less in London than in Paris, where, we are in-
formed, such things have happened as a theatre opening its
doors to an audience absolutely no larger than, the " dearly
beloved Roger," who made up the Irish congregation of one
person. Yet there have been a few concerts this `week r one
by Madame Rieder Schlumberger and Mdlle. Sophie Humler
(the clever violinist) in company, and the last of the• Royal
Italian Opera Concerts under the burning cope of the Crystal
Palace. It seems probable that this is their last season, and
indeed it is to be hoped so ; since, while it has been impos-
sible to produce any novelty at them, their recurrence has
inevitably delayed the days of preparation at Covent Garden.
Theatre, so indispensable to the production of novelties
there. When the over-worked state of the artists, the short
period of our season, and the fatigue caused by the enor-
mous distances of London, are considered, such distraction as
these Sydenham concerts have caused can only be justified
by the circumstances under which they were originated (for
the purpose of keeping together Mr. Gye's company) under
the pressure of difficulties, or by some extraordinary bril-
liancy of success. Some attempt to vary the interest of
these meetings is to be made we see, when the flower of the
Drury Lane Italian Opera dompany is to appear
The great event of the week has been f
A. respectable-looking man, who on Wednesday last by a vast number of t

he banquet given

,es Kean, at St. James's Hall, Tic7aC

There may exist a great contrariety of opinion as to the
extent of the ability of Mr. Charles Kean as,a.tragedian,
but happily there is but one feeling as to, the private worth
of this gentleman ; and this fact was testified by the numer-

ous gathering of his noble and distinguished patrons and
brother Etonian. The splendid revivals of Shakspere
under his management have tended greatly to add
a charm to the representation of the immortal bard's
plays, though there are many who meet this assertion by
the churlish assurance, " He has added nothing to the glory
ie of Shakspere." Time will prove that Mr. Charles Kean is

rested principles, his object has been to raise the status of
the professors of the histrionic art. The eulogy of the
noble chairman, the Duke of Newcastle, on Mr. Kean's
character, was extremely happy, as it was well merited.
Mr. Kean's reply was characteristic of the man, and was
received with enthusiasm.
There has been a very numerous attendance at

at the old spots which have been visited by thousands of
amusement seekers every summer, from the days of Charles
the Second to our own. It was hardly to be expected, under
„ „ . .

large amount of expenditure could be devoted to the setting
forth of the gardens in the most alluring guise, or the
resuscitation of those brilliant adornments which made
them in days gone by realise, as nearly as mundane
powers could accomplish, the conception of - " Fairy

Land," which was wont to be the 1 popular standard
of comparison among the frequenters. Nevertheless, there
was a fair amount of amusement provided as an equivalent
for the admission shilling, and there was the• extra pleaiure
of wandering for the last time I -

)1d trees, where
red to linger yet reluctantly,
A. band under the direction of

Mr. Dean' a concert in the open orchestra, a slight ballet,
and some horsemanship, well followed up with fireworks,
furnished the visitors with enough to amuse them, and the
rest of the entertainment they could agreeably supply for
themselves. Of course Vauxhall could not open without the
traditional showers, but the rain seemed only to give an
extra relish to the enjoyment

In the literary circles much excitement still exists in re-
ference to Mr. John Payne Collier's and. Mr. Hamilton's
controversy on, the celebrated " annotated folio" of Shak-
spere of 1632. Mr. Hamilton, who appears to have prose-
cuted his inquiry with great energy, states in a letter dated
13th of July (referring to a former letter of 23rd of June) :

city of the -supposed ancient corrections lay iii the fact that,
while they were made in an antique handwriting and spelling,
having some resemblance to that used in the seventeenth cen-
tury, they could be shown in numerous instances to be
writtensometimes by the side of, and sometimes actually upon,
the same space as similar pencil emendations made on the
margins in a modern hand, in a modern spelling, and, to the
best of my belief, within the present century. Since writing
that letter to you, I have deemed it my duty to go over a
further portion of the volume with the greatest possible
scrupulousness. The results at which I arrive are the same ;
and lam now prepared to say that what I then considered
highly probable as to,the spurious nature of the corrections
is now to my mind absolutely certain.. . .In several cases

alS,' in

hundreds, though naturally faint from having been partially
rubbed out, are, nevertheless, visible and distinct; in some
cases, indeed, have not been rubbed out at all. It isimpos-
sible to convey to the reader, without the aid of fac-similes,
an exact idea of their perfectly current and modern form.
I can only state that they appear to me clearly of this cen-
tury, and, in fact, as if written but yesterday. Yet that
they were placed on the• margins previously to the
antique-looking ink corrections, which in many instances
they actually underlie, has- been proved by Mr. Mas-
kelyne, keeper of the Mineral department." The Critic
gives this letter, in extenso, and another from Mr. Maskelyne,
keeper of the Mineral department in the British Museum,
in support of Mr. Hamilton's views, and remarks:—

" These results obtained by Mr. Maskelyne seem to us
to establish incontrovertibly that an attempt has been
made, by some person or persons unascertain4 to give to
the emendations upon the margins an antiquity which they
do not really possess. The fact that modern handwritinglin
-pencil; underlies writing in an ancient character in paint
seems sufficient to prove the intention to create an erroneous
impression that the emendations belong to a remote period."
" Perhaps one of the, strongest points which has yet' ap-
peared in connection with the argument is that which arises
out of the fact that Mr. Parry, the alleged former possessor
of the folio, denies that this copy was ever in his possession;
that, on the contrary, 'it differed in edition, in.btinding, in
corrections—in fact, in every particular in which a'book can
differ—from the folio " Shakspere" formerly in his posses-
sion.' Surely Mr. Collier will be induced to; depart from
his resolve to mix no more in the matter so fax as to attempt
to,clear up this mystery."

" British Novelists and their Styles ; being a Critical
Sketch of the History of British Prose Fiction," by David
Masson, M.A., is a work of a peculiar
interest in the present
day..
The author draws a. striking, and just contrast, espe-•
cially between. Charles Dickens and. Thaekeray. Of these
authors he thus speaks :—" With the two.writers, according
to the serial system, it seems-to be, whether by arrangement
or hy necessity, as with Castor Pollux, both cannot be
above the horizon of the publishing world at once, and, when
the one is there, the other takes his turn in Tautarus. But
whether simultaneously visible or alternate, the two are •now
so closely associated in the public mind that, whenever-the
one is mentioned, the other is thought of. It is now Dickens

ana I nacxeray, ‘llacKeray ana Dickens, all the, world; over,
Nay, not content with associating them, people have got
into the•habit of contrasting them and naming them:in, oppo-
sition to each other., There a. Dickens faction, and, there
is a Thackeray faction ; and there. is no debate mnra

monovherever hterary, talk goes en, than the &bate as to
the respective merits of Dickens. and Thackeray. Perhaps
there•is a certain: ungraciousness in our thus always com-
paring and contrasting the two. writers. We• ought to be
but too glad that we have such a pair of contemporaries, yet
living and in their prime, to cheer on nonin.t

men er."
In the way of Fine Art- gossip we hear that a°til oun Polish artist, Bryezewski by name,
ainnaa by +ha T has Mal COy
rn Just !mi g
a_

MR/11GL/ Lt,uac J.Auraruta ot the Imperial Library of St.
Petersburgh to execute a bust of Sir Roderick Murchison.
The model in clay is. now exhibiting at the museum in
Jermyn-street, and is certainly a most faithful renrp.m+.4.:—
of Sir Itnaprita, AT __ I •

kl coinkti to

and his first effort has more thue late Baron Humboldt,
out out by hi realised the hopes held
s. guished patron.
Musical publications during the week have really been
" too sousnum to mention.' In the compositions by J.,
Derffel, wts, (Cramer and C 0,,) the subjects are too
laboured, and yet leave, no enduring or pleasant results..
Three numbers of Bijoux, Perdus," first series, performed
by Miss Arabella Goddard, with fingerings, are valuable
books,

The first article in Chambers' Miscellany this week will
read with interest. It is called " Across_ the. World,"
pivpQ , .