The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-11-12 00:00:00

It is said that the first cabinet council will be held on the
18th inst., and that all the ministers will be assembled in
town on that day."—Sunday Organ of the Whig Ministry.
The Cambridge Press says that there is no truth whatever
in the rumour that the Marquis of Tavistock intends to con-
test the county of Cambridge at the next election.
It is confidently reported in well-informed circles, that
orders have been sent to India for the ships of war on that
station to proceed at once to China. The Druid, and some
other frigates, are, it is said, ordered also to join the squadron
and blockade the Chinese coast, seize upon their junks, and
harass them in every possible way, until redress has been
obtained, in the shape of £2,000,000., for the opium lately
taken possession of and destroyed by the Chinese govern-
ment ; and that since the issuing of these orders, , Lord
Palmerston has invited all persons who have been lately re-
sident in China, but are now in this country, to give him
their opinions in writing, as to the course which they would
individually advise to be taken by the British government,
as his lordship confesses himself unable to understand the
question.—Correspondent of the Morning Herald.
DIED.—At Madras, on the 15th of August, Lieut. Colonel
Edward Lloyd Smythe, of the Madras cavalry. After 36
years' residence in India he had revisited his native land in
1836, to comfort an aged mother and two beloved sisters, and
was just returned to renew his military services in the hope
of obtaining higher rank within a few years, and then re-
tiring to spend his last days in the bosom of his family, but
he was carried off, after a short illness, by the rapid progress
of dysentery. He had witnessed the success of the British
arms in India for many years, having served at the battle of
Assaye under the Duke of Wellington, then Sir Arthur
Wellesley. He was descended from an ancient family at
North Nibley, in the county of Gloucester. He was an ex-
cellent officer, an affectionate relative and friend, a highly
talented man, and a sincere Christian.—Standard.
BOROUGH BANK OF SHEFFIELD.—We observe that all
the notes of the Bank of England, sent into circulation by
this bank, are stamped on the face of them thus—" Re-issued
by the Borough Bank of Sheffield," thereby attesting their
genuineness. We think this another proof of the utility of
the system upon which this bank is founded; in addition to
which we find, upon inquiry, that the Borough Bank will put
their stamp upon all Bank of England notes (without charge),
brought to them for that purpose, or passing through their
hands. The recent determination too of the Bank of Eng-
land not to discount any bills, drawn or indorsed by any
bank of issue, either joint stock or private, must have con-
vinced every man of business that it is much better to have
the friendship than the enmity of that powerful corporation,
for powerful it will be, notwithstanding the fierce attacks
made upon it by some portion of the public press.—Sheffield
Patriot.

SEIZURE OF ARMS IN BELFAST.—OD Wednesday, in con-
sequence of private information, A. M. Skinner, Esq., police
magistrate, and Mr. Lindsay, chief constable, proceeded to
Donegal Quay, and seized a chest and a small barrel, which
had been recently landed from the Reindeer, Liverpool
steamer, and which was found to contain eleven double-bar-
relled guns, five single-barrelled pieces, one bayonet, thirty-
five bullet-moulds, twelve powder-horns, and a large quantity
of percussion caps: The arms were packed up with a num-
ber of snuff boxes. The officers already mentioned immedi-
ately removed their seizure to the Police-office. The Pack-
ages were directed to Mr. M'Kiney, hardware merchant,
Rosemary-street, Belfast.--Northertt Whiy,
LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY TRAFFIC.—
The Saturday Magazine states, that the gross sum received
by the company for the carriage of goods and passengers has
amounted to from £200,000 to £250,000 per annum. The
shareholders have, for some time past, received ten per cent.
dividend on their shares, and £lOO a share will sell for more
than £2OO. The passengers and merchandise conveyed on
the railway, from September, 1830, to June, 1836, amounted
as follows :

Year.
1830 (Sept. to Dec.)....... .
1831
1832
1833 .. ......... . ....
1834
1835
1836 (to June)

Merchandise. Coal. Passengers.
Tons. Tons.
1,433 2,630 71,951
. 43,070 11,285 445,047
. 159,443 69,396 356,945
. 194,704 81,509 386,492
. 210,736 99,337 436,637
. 230,629' 116,246 473,8-17
. 117,617 68,893 222,848

1,023,120 449,296 2,393,767
A PITCHFORK IN PRISON AND WHIG LORD IN LIMBO
—A bill in chancery was filed a little time ago by the Rev.
Mr. Girdlestone, rector of Alderley, in Cheshire, against
Lord Stanley (not the excellent Lord Stanley, eldest son of
the Earl of Derby, but one of the late new pitchforked
peers), for tithe. This the noble and right hon. lord refused
to pay. Not caring for a poor parson, or frowning lord
chancellor, the pitchfork peer even refused to put in an an-
swer to the bill, and treated the mere matter of justice and
law with the most lordly indignity. Whereupon a tipstaff
from the Court of Chancery, a few days since, walked into
my lord's breakfast-room, and carried him off, without any
ado, in his custody to London. On the arrival of the pair in
town, my lord wished to go to his own hotel. But no. Tip
would not consent to part with his bird until the answer was
filed, and all the costs paid. My lord threatened him with
the vengeance of the House of Peers, and everybody, and
everywhere, and everything else, but all to no purpose, as
Tip would not budge, but slept, ate and drank, et cetera, in
the same room with his whig prisoner for three entire nights
and days. The niggardly lord, thus ignobly treated by Tip,
is brother to the notorious whig Bishop of Norwich, and
father to the flagelliferous placeman that whistles and works
for the whig ministers in the House of Commons. The
clergyman thus driven 'to legal proceedings, in order to bring
my Lord Pitchfork to his senses and make him pay his debts,
is the Mr. Girdlestone. so distinguished for his piety, his
learning, and his mildness, as to be known and respected
throughout the whole Christian and literary world. Altoge-
ther the case illustrates what we have often said, that there
is no tyrant like a whig tyrant, and no one so eager to tram-
ple upon right, as your brawler about liberty, when he thinks
he has the power to injure and oppress. Lord Limbo has,
however, just received a lesson, which we trust will not be
lost upon his lordship, or his lordship's whig fraternity.—
Northampton Herald.
THE BROUGHAM UPSET.—The " Brougham Mystery"
still remains one. A statement, purporting to be made by
Brougham, but unauthenticated by any signature, has ap-
peared in some of the newspapers, and denies that his lord-
ship was cognizant of the hoax. lam disposed to doubt the
genuiness of the document, because, on comparing the for-
ged letter from Mr. Shaft° with MSS. in Lord Brougham's
handwriting, there remains no doubt of the perfect identity
of the two. The forgery, indeed, is written' in a disguised
hand; but wherever the word " Brougham" occurs, it is
clearly the same as his habitual signature. The seal might,
perhaps, assist in clearing up the mystery; for, though a
good deal thumbed while the wax was warm, there still re•
mains enough of the impression visible to shew that the en-
graving is that of an antique head. It is odd, too, that Lord
Brougham should not yet have instituted any inquiries with
a view to discover the author of the forgery. Nay, I would
respectfully ask whether, when an offer was lately made to
him to commence such an investigation at Penrith, he did
not decline, on the ground that premature investigation might
possibly frustrate the ends of justice ?—Correspondence of
the Glasgow Constitutional..
WANTON AND BRUTAL CONDUCT.—On Thursday even-
ing one of those diabolical acts, for the commission of which
it is not easy to account, was perpetrated, by which the life
of a respectable individual was jeopardized. The mail train
which-leaves this town about half-past six in the evening,
and of which it was the turn of Frazer to be guard, was pro-
ceeding at a quick pace, and when passing under the " Three
lane bridge," (the second from Preston,) a heavy stone,
thirty-two pounds weight, was thrown over the battlement
just at the moment when it was expected, no doubt, that
Frazer would be under it. He was seated in his proper place
with his back to the engine, and near to the break, the car-
riage which next followed having also a guard's seat on the
front. The stone fell upon the footboard of this seat, and
the weight of the stone with the velocity at which the train
was going actually drove it into the body of the carriage, and
it was with some little difficulty it was extricated. The dis-
tance between where Frazer sat, and where the stone fell,
was not more than twenty-four inches, so that it is evident
he had a very narrow escape. Of course it was useless for
the engineer to attempt to stop the train for the purpose of
trying to find the miscreant, and nothing has yet been heard
to lead to the detection of the guilty individual, though every
exertion is making, and which, we hope, will prove successful.
Preston Pilot.

It may be recollected that a gentleman named Hemmings,
who, about four years ago, was an u; s Iccessful candidate for
the hand of her Majesty, came down to Lincoln, and slightly
surprised the citizens by riding on horseback into their shops
to make his purchases, and by doing other eccentric actions.
Mr. Hemmings has again made his appearance amongst us,
coming, as he assures us, from hunting, in the following
manner :—he sits on the box of a chaise by the side of the
driver, having two lusty horn-blowers inside to announce
him. On Monday he declared himself a candidate for the
honour of representing Lincoln on the Liberal interest, and
marched into town at the head of a procession formed of two
old soldiers, a lot of idlers, and a band playing " See the
Conquering Hero comes." This exhibition gave great de-
light to the rising generation, and as Mr. Hemmings pays
like a prince for all he has, and those whom he employs,
little discouragement is offered to his strange pranks.—Lin-
coin Herald.

RIBBLE NAVIGATION IMPROVEMENT.—The excavation
of the rock within the coffer darn is proceeding rapidly, as
thoSe of our readers who have visited the scene of the opera-
tions, must have seen for themselves. The average quantity
of work quarried and cleared out per day is one hundred and
eighty cubic yards. At this rate, should the weather continne
favourable, the excavation of the present length will be com-
pleted in about three weeks. When we use the term " com-
pleted," we mean it in a most effectual sense, for the depth
to which it is now determined the excavation shall be carried,
is three feet lower than was at first proposed, which will give
us eighteen feet depth of water at spring tides—the same
depth as they have at the docks at Liverpool. Under this
arrangement, therefore, the Liverpool tide table will always
be applicable to the Preston navigation. Preparations are
commenced for erecting the coffer dam for the next length.
The. iron rods, &c.,, are already in a forward state ; and Mr.
Bowd expects to bewin putting them down next week. We
-are'happy to'state, that the dredger has completed one cut,
entirely through : Peg-hill, and will commence another cut in
a few dav:So as to' give it full width. The steamer has come
up the Ribble every tide this week, and has regularly voyaged
between Lytham und Preston within the hour. On Thurs-
day she towed up the Ilrothers to the Preston new quay,
whiCh vessel only left Liverpool the previous day. On the
whole, the progress. of the undertaking is in fully as auspici-
ous a state as when we last reported on the subject.—Preston
Chronicle.

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—On Tuesday evening last,
as the last train from Liverpool and Manchester was pro-
ceeding along the North Union Railway; between Parkside
and Preston, when crossing Ince Moss, near Wigan, the en-
gine struck a man named Thompson, who was walking across
the Elie, knocked him down, and killed him on the spot.
Tha deceased was placed in one of the carriages, and con-
vey dto Wigan. On the following evening an inquest was
held on the body, before Mr. Rogerson, at the Saracen's
Head, in Wigan-lane, when the following evidence was ad-
duced : Thomas Guttridge, an engineer on the North Union
line, said he was on the St. George engine, en the line from
Parkside to Preston. The train left Parkside about nine
o'clock. The speed of the engine is about thirty miles an
hour, but it was not going quite so fast at the time of the ac-
cident. The night was very dark—and just coming to Ince
Moss the engine struck a man, and knocked him down.
Witness immediately stopped the engine, and turned back.
The deceased was found lying on one side, near the other
line of rails, apparently dead. He was placed in the car-
riages, and brought to Wigan. Believes the accident hap-
pened at Inee.—William Thomson, son of the deceased, a
forge-hammer-man at Haigh Foundry, said his father was
the same business as himself. He would have been 55 years
of age that day. They had been together at Bolton, and were
on their way back to Wigan. They took their fares at Bol-
ton, and on reaching Parkside it was found that the deceased
had lost his ticket. He was therefore ordered out of the
carriage. He said to his son, " Never mind, I have sixpence,
and we can walk." Both got out of the carriages, and walked
down the line. At Golborne Gate they called, and had each
a glass of ale. There they were informed that it was con-
siderably nearer by the railway than the turnpike road, and
they determined to proceed along the line. When the train
was near them, witness desired his father to come towards
him, but in the confusion he jumped on the line where the
train was, and the engine knocked him across the road.
Witness went to him, spoke to him, and attempted to move
him, but found he was dead. Neither witness nor his father
were sober, but the latter was the more sober of the two.
The jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict of
Accidental Death, and levied a deodand of J. on the engine.
---Preston Pilot.