The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-06-15 00:00:00

£234,576; in 1836, £149,661; and in 1837, £583,271. In
1847, the duty received amounted to £13.911 ; in 1848,
£767,669; in 1849. £608,481 ; in 1850, £467,881 ; and last
year, £504,921. The highest price of wheat from 1833 to
1837 was 555. 10d. a quarter in 1837, and the lowest price
from 1847 to 1851 was 38s. 6d. in last year. In 1847 it

was 695. 9d. per quarter, the highest price in the years
mentioned by the return.

THE LARGEST VESSEL IN THE WORLD..—PEMBROKE.
—The near completion of the leviathan line of battle
screw steam-ship the Windsor Castle, on the stocks in
the Pembroke dockyard, excites at the present time a
vast amount of attention throughout the naval and man-
time service, on account of her stupendous size. With-
out exception, she is the largest vessel in the world, many
hundred tons larger than the Great Britain, the Himalaya
(now building for the Oriental Steam Navigation Com-
pany, at Blackwell), and the celebrated American-built
steamer the Pennsylvania. Originally she was intended
for a 120 gun ship. The alterations that have recently
been made in her afford, we understand, accommodation
for no fewer than 140 guns. Her original length was 210
feet. She has been lengthened in midships by 23 feet
(just the space required for two ports), and abaft by 7
feet 6 inches. The engines are of the manufacture of
Mr. Robert Napier, and are, it is understood, of the col-
lective power of 650 to 700 horses. It is expected that
she will be sufficiently advanced for launching by the fall
of the present year.
THE GUANO QUESTION.—A deputation of gentlemen
interested in this subject, and consisting of members
of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, and the
Highland Agricultural Society, had an interview with
Lord Derby on Friday in Downing-street. The deputa-
tion, which was very numerously attended, was introduced
by his Grace the Duke of Richmond, and the speakers
included the Duke of Buccleuch, Captain Bulwer, Mr.
Hudson, of Castleacre, &c. In addition to these ad-
dresses some memorials were presented, the object being
to represent to the Government the importance of taking
every possible means to reduce the price of guano, as well
as to call attention to the claim made by the Peruvian
government to the newly-discovered Lobos Islands. His
lordship, in reply, stated that the islands referred to, it
was now ascertained, were indisputably under the Peru-
vian dominion, while negotiations had for a considerable
period been carried on with a view to a reduction in the
cost at which guano was shipped to this country. So far.
however, little bad come of these proceedings, and his
lordship feared he could hold out but faint hopes to the
memorialists. Still, for his own part, he entirely sym-
pathised with them, and they might rest assured that, if
anything could be done, it should ; and, to further this pur-
pose, instructions should be given to our cruisers to look
out for other islands which might contain deposits of the
same fertilising description.

TRAFFIC RETURNS.-The traffic returns for the week
ending June 6th, on the undermentioned English lines of
railway, are as follow :- 1852. 1851.
London and North Western.... £52,839 .. £58,455
Midland
Lancashire and Yorkshire...... 22,108 .. 16,784
London and South-Western.... 13,282 .. 15,419
London and Brighton .. 12.013 .. 11,028
Great Western
South Eastern ......
York and North Midland
Manchester, Shelf*. and Lincoln 9,354 6,477
Bristol and Exeter ..
York, Newcastle, and Berwick.. 13,104 .. 14,331
Shrewsbury and Chester..
Shrewsburyand Birmingham.... 873 .. 672
Eastern Counties and Norfolk 16,521 .. 15,932
Great Northern
Chester and Holyhead 3,702 .. 3,142
North Staffordshire .. 5,149 .. 4.974
Leeds Northern .....
South Devon
South Wales..
_

The total receipts on the above lines being £241,094,
against £237,115 in the corresponding week of last year;
the increase is shown to be £3,979. The number of miles
open on the above, was, in 1852 4,264 i, and in 1851,
4,144, showing an increase of 121 miles.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT "MESSRS. CLOWESPS PRINTING
OFFICE, LoNnoN.—A fire, involving a great destruction
of property, broke out on Thursday afternoon, between
the hours of one and two, in the premises belonging to
Messrs. W. Clowes and Co., printers to the government,
&c., situated in Duke-street, Lambeth. The premises in
which the fire commenced were used as the warehouses.
One compartment contained about 200 tons of type, while
some of the other floors were filled with printed works.
Independent of the large quantity of printed works in this
particular portion of the premises, there were between
20,000 and 30,000 reams of paper. Duke's-court, princi-
pally inhabited by poor people, which nearly touched the
blazing buildings, was exposed to imminent danger—in
fact, at one time the heat was so intense that the occupants
commenced throwing their furniture and other effects into
the street. Fortunately, the 'West of England and several
engines of the London brigade came down, and were
forthwith set to work. The firm was insured in the Sun,
Phoenix, Royal Exchange, and the Westminster fire-
offices. The property destroyed by this disastrous event,
independently of the paper before alluded to, comprises
" Knight's Illustrated Bible," the " Sunday Book," the
" Illustrated Shakspere," the " Royal Catalogue of the
Exhibition of all Nations," the " Church Catechism,"
the " Readings for the Rail," the population tables of the
country at large, &c. The premises in which the fire
began were originally erected as a chapel, belonging to the
Baptist connexion, but about sixteen years since they were
purchased by the Messrs. Clowes and were added to the
other works on their property. As to the origin of the
disaster, nothing that could be depended upon could be
learned. The men had not left the place more than ten
or fifteen minutes to go to their dinner, when the alarm
was given that the building was in flames. It was Mr.
Clowes's opinion that the total loss would be under
£50,000, less by one-half than was expected. The total
amount of insurances effected, at least as far as the sur-
veyors to the fire-offices were able to ascertain, was only
£25,000. The founders, compositors, and pressmen
resumed their employment on Friday morning, so that
the business of the firm has only been temporarily retarded
for a few hours.

ELOPEMENT AND ROBBERY.—An occurrence of an ex-
traordinary character has just taken place at Barnsley,
which has caused no little conversation amongst its inha-
bitants. The delectable couple who have given rise to it
are Isaac Asquith, a married man with seven children,
and the wife of Mr. Jabez AlcLintock, manufacturer and
dealer, all of Barnsley. Asquith, it appears, has been on
most intimate terms with McLintock, visiting frequently
at the house, and being considered almost as the bosom
friend of the family. At the beginning of last week it was
mooted that Asquith was about to leave for the " dig-
gings," but as to how he bad become possessed of the
needful was an entire mystery, as he was known as a man
of somewhat loose habits, and was encumbered moreover
by a large family. On Tuesday last, Mrs. McLintock,
accompanied by her daughter, went on a visit to some
friends at Sheffield, and was to return on Wednesday.
On that day, however, she sent her daughter home with a
note, stating that she should prolong her stay a few days
longer. In the meantime some friends had hinted to Mr.
McLintock that all was not as it should be with Asquith
and his wife, but he took no immediate steps until Friday,
when, hearing that Asquith had actually gone, and that
he had previously been boasting of a £lOO which be had
shown to several of his friends, coupled with his wife's
protracted absence, he awoke to some consciousness as to
the state of his affairs. His first object was to examine
his money, which was under the control of his wife, and
which he found minus about £250. He instantly started
for Sheffield, but found his wife had left some days pre-
viously in company with Asquith. He traced the fugitives
to Manchester and from thence to Liverpool, and finding
a vessel about to sail for Australia, he obtaiaed the assist-
ance of the police and proceeding on board found the de-
linquents under the assumed name of " Mr. and Mrs.
Jackson." Of course they were disappointed of their ex-
pected trip, and were required to repair on shore, where
steps were taken for their safe transit hack to Barnsley,
where they arrived on Sunday. On Monday they were
taken before the sitting magistrates charged with a felony,
and were remanded to Friday. On the female was found
£155, safely secured in her stays, besides £2O in her
pocket, and on Asquith was found £2O, £34 having been
paid for passage money.—Doncaster Chronicle.