The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-07-19 00:00:00

WARRINGTON

FIRE.—On Wednesday a fire was discovered in some
premises belonging to the London and North-Western
Railway Company, at Dallam, and used for drying timber,
previous to is preparation for railway purposes ; however,
it was soon subdued.

FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL.—The following gentlemen,
educated at this school, have obtained honours at the
recent examinations at Cambridge:—George Bostock, a
scholarship at Trinity Hall, for classics and mathematics ;
H. Sharp, a scholarship at Jesus College, and the first
mathematical prize ; H. N. Bayley, the prize for divinity,
at Trinity College.
ORANGE CELEBRATION.—On Tuesday, the Grand Pro-
testant Association of Loyal Orangemen, Lodge 143, held
their anniversary dinner at the Black Boy Inn, Bridge-
street. There was a good attendance on the occasion, his
Worship the Mayor, Mr. Joseph Perrin, and some other
members of the council, being present. The usual loyal
and local toasts were followed by several glees and songs,
and the evening was spent with the utmost hilarity.

LLANELLY RAILWAY.—At the special meeting of the
Llanelly Railway, on Saturday, a bill for making a railway
to Llandilo, seven miles in length, at an expense of
£50,000, in shares of £25 each, at a preference interest of
5 per cent. per annum, was agreed to.
SAILORS' HOME.—The indefatigable founder-general
of sailors' homes, Captain W. H. Hall, R.N., has just
returned to town from seeing the foundation stone laid of
a splendid sailors' home at Cardiff, by the young Marquis
of Bute. Seamen of all nations were present with their
respective flags, &c., and Admiral Sir George Tyler, M.P.,
delivered a characteristic address on the occasion.

A PEACE CONGRESS.—SeveraI of the real guardians of
the peace of the world being now assembled at Spithead,
it is proposed to transfer to them the duties of the defunct
Peace Society. The ships might all be painted drab, and
double-shotted guns with the plugs kept in would much
resemble Quakers.—The Duke of Wellington might then
be called the Joseph Sturge, the High Flyer, the John
Bright, the Arrogant, the Richard Cobden, &c.; and we
should have a more influential peace congress at Ports-
mouth than ever assembled in London or Paris.—The
Press.
Deem Ar. COINAGE.—The committee have concluded
the examination of witnesses, and it is understood the re-
sult will be an unanimous report in favour of the adoption
of the decimal system of coinage and currency, making
the pound sterling the integer, and dividing it into 1,000
units or farthings. Before the committee Dr. Bowring
produced the instrument (abacus) by which arithmetic is
taught in all the schools of China, and stated that a
Chinese youth, after a month's instruction, is far more
competent to apply all the rules of arithmetic to the busi-
ness of life than a learner on our plans of instructiom
would be after the teaching of years. It was suggested
in the committee that the use in all our elementary
schools of the abacus would greatly facilitate and popu-
larise the introduction of a decimal system of currency
and account.

RUMOURED' OFFICIAL CHANGES.—It was currently
rumoured at the clubs on Saturday that an important
change is about to take place in the administration, in
consequence of the difficulties in which the eastern
question is still involved. It is stated that the Earl of
Clarendon, who does not feel at home in conducting the
negociations which are pending, and who has throughout
been in the habit cf consulting Lord Palmerston on the
subject, and acting anon his advice, will take the home
secretaryship, Lord Palmerston succeeding him at the
Foreign Office. It seems that on the formation of the
recent administration, Lord Aberdeen objected to Lord
Palmerston going to the Foreign Office, his policy having
been antagonistic to that of the Premier in that respect,
but that the pressing circumstances of the present times
have induced Lord Aberdeen to waive the very strong ob-
jections he originally had to the direction by Lord Pal-
merston of the foreign policy of the country.—Ministerial
paper.

AN EXPERIENCED Lavcsron, of foreign origin, and
decorated with divers foreign orders and ribbons, styling
himself Colonel Count Seardka Demicki, appeared at.
Westminster Police Court to answer a charge of levying
contributions on the public by fraudulent representations.
It was shown that the defendant presented false lists of
subscribers, and told conflicting tales of distress, and in
other ways imposed on charitable persons, among whom
he commonly selected the most distinguished on whom to
practise his arts of victimisation. His career of imposition,
as detailed by Horsford, the • officer of the Mendicity
Society, presented a curious series of attempts and detec-
tions : He had known the accused for ten years as a
begging-letter impostor. In March, 1845, he was com-
mitted for a month ; and in January, 1846, he was again
apprehended, but, owing to the non-attendance of the
person charging, escaped. In 1847 he was committed for
three months ; in 1848 for fourteen days ; in 1830 for
three months ; and in 1851 discharged, through the non-
attendance of the prosecutor. Witness had seen him with
girls at casinos, drinking wine and smoking repeatedly.
Some further information respecting his adventures was
communicated by Lieutenant Szulcxewski, resident secre-
tary to the Literary Association of the Friends of Poland :
The prisoner had arrived in this country in the year 1837,
from France, and applied to be put on the list of Polish
refugees. He was provided with papers, which there was
but little doubt had belonged to another person, but, by
some means, had fallen into his hands, and representing
that he had been a major in the Polish army, and bad
taken part in the latestruggle against Russia, receivedrelief
from the fund. It being found that he was going about
imposing upon the benevolence of the friends of Poland,
his conduct was investigated, and he was struck off the
list. He then went about from country to country, there
being scarcely one that he had not visited, wearing deco-
rations and assuming titles to which he had not the
slightest claim. Inquiries being afterwards made respect-
ing him, it was found that the " colonel count," and some-
times marquis, had formerly been a forest-keeper,had been
imprisoned at Strasburg for swindling, wearing decora-
tions, assuming titles, and other offences ; had been
expelled France, and was found in possession of a forged
passport. He had at one time absolutely pretended to be
cousin to the late King of Poland ;. but, as the assump-
tion was too impudent not to be discovered, he was obliged
to abandon his claim to relationship. Recently he had
been in Rome and Spain practising his arts,and had been im-
prisoned and turned out of France for his disgraceful prac-
tices. The prisoner, who can speak English well, but
who pretended that he was thoroughly unacquainted with
it, and also feigned deafness, abused the witnesses in ex-
tremely bad French, in preference to. using good English.
Mr. Arnold committed him for three months to hard
labour,.and said he would take good care the conviction
was returned to the sessions.