The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-05-14 00:00:00

The Monthly Law Magazine. May, 1839.

'We cannot speak in too high terms of this truly
constitutional magazine. The number before us con-
tains some invaluable essays on various subjects con-
nected with politics and legislation. The introductory
paper on the " Metropolitan Police Bill," contains
some very powerful remarks on the centralizing system
which the Whigs seek to introduce into the govern-
ment of this country. The monthly observations on
" the House of Commons" are of a very cutting
character. We have next a very elaborate essay on
"Degrees in Secondary Evidence; or, a Discussion of
the Question whether there are any, and what Degrees
of Secondary Evidence, recognized by Law." The
subject is handled with great ability. Another profes-
sional article follows, under the title of." The Liabilities
of Parties, and particularly of Attorneys, when Pro-
ceedings are set aside for irregularity." The miscel-
laneous information, reports, abridgments, &c., in this
magazine, are eminently valuable.

The Aldine Magazine. May, 1839.
Variety is the leading feature of this excellent peri-
odical. *Prefixed to each number there is a lithographic
plate con'aining fac similes of the autographs of the
most eminent London publishers. The letter-press
contains a succession of essays and papers on bio-
graphical, bibliographical, critical, and other subjects,
most of them written in a smooth and attractive style.
Its tales, poetry, &c., are also of a superior order. The
present number is exceedingly interesting, especially
abounding in anecdotes respecting authors, artists,
books, and booksellers. The essay on "The Patronage
of the Arts," is cleverly written, and contains many
valuable suggestions. The essay on the "Advantages
of being Blind," is well worth perusal. In its reviews
and more miscellaneous information the Aldine dis-
plays considerable taste and judgment.

Confessions of Harry Lorrequer. No. 3.
The continuation of these admirable memoirs con-
tinues to sustain the interest and curiosity of the
reader, as much as the preceding numbers.. We hope
that we may have the pleasure of accompanying the
light-hearted Harry through twenty more numbers of
his laughable narrative. We regret to find that, owing
to the illness of the artist (Phiz,) the drolleries of Lor-
equer have not been illustrated in the present number.
These adventures must become increasingly popular, if
there be any thing like taste among British readers.

The captain of a merchant vessel recently arrived at Mar-
-tellies from Senegal relates that, when close in with the coast
of Catalonia, he was overtaken by a violent hail storm, which
lasted three-quarters of an hour, and drove great numbers of
birds on board his ship, many of them dying on the deck.
Others fell dead in the water, killed by the magnitude of the
hail stones, some of which were more than an inch in diame-
ter. When the storm ceased, the deck was covered with hail
stones to the depth of six or seven inches.
SINGULAR CAPTURE OF AN OTTER—During the night
of Friday last, as the fishermen at the station below the Linn
of Camsie were dragging their netts ashore, they found the
oag to contain, not a good haul of salmon, which the splash-
ing and resistance had led diem to anticipate, but an otter
which measured nearly six feet in length. This animal which
usually makes its escape easily when enclosed in-a salmon
net by biting through the meshes, had been caught in the
present instance by a portion of the line getting entangled in
its fore teeth, which it had not been able to extricate in time
to escape capture. In the upper parts of the river the otter
is very destructive to the salmon, but it is seldom found so
far down and of so large a size.—Perth Courier.
NIGHT ASPECT OF THE HEAVENS.—At this time all the
planets, with the exception of the four ultra-zodiacal, are to
be seen in the heavens in their natural order, that is, as their
distance from the sun. Mercury appears shortly after sun-
set, but will be invisible about the 25th of this month. Venus,
Mars, and Jupiter come next, and are very conspicuous ob-
ject 6 in the heavens—the former in the west, and the latter
in the east part of the horizon. Mars is situated a little to
the west of Jupiter, and forms a triangle with that planet and
Arcturus ; Saturn is in the constellation Scorpio, and rises a
little after ten p. m. Altogether at this time the heavens
present a very interesting appearance ; for, besides the three
planets above-mentioned, many stars of the first magnitude
are to be seen at the same time. Sirius and the belt of Orion,
in the south-west, cannot fail to, attract the attention of the
young astronomer, the former being the nearest as well als the
n.tost crf all tire Cud :Alm