The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-04-19 00:00:00

YESTERDAY.

COMMITMENTS.—Three girls—Catherine Harrison, Sarah
Dobbins, and Margaret Brayson, were fully committed for
trial at the sessions on a charge of stealing a silk cloak value
£4, the property of Mrs. Jones, of Percy-street. An entrance
into the house was effected by the back door, and they were
seen by a plumber from the roof of a house. Two young men
named Jones and Flinn, were charged with having stolen a
coat and hat, from the house of Mr. Thomlinson, (of the firm
of Mather, Thomlinson, and C 0.,) near the Herculaneum
potteries. The articles were hung in the hall of the house,
which opens into a private lane, and the prisoners were
stopped when in the act of making off with them. Both were
known to the police, and Jones had been released only a few
days from twelve months imprisonment. The evidence was
taken against them, and they were committed for trial.

WAKEFIELD WooL MARKET.—For most kinds of wools
suitable for combing, a very fair demand has continued
through the week at full prices. Other kinds are rather more
difficult to quit, and though buyers attempted to buy on
lower terms, they did not, as far as our information Wends,
succeed in a single instance.

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LIVERPOOL EASTER SESSIONS.—TUESDAY.
THEFT BY A SHOPMAN.
William Taylor, aged 23, until recently a shopman in the
employ of Mr. Richard Mitchell Beckwith, was charged in
an indictment with having in March last stolen five pairs of
silk stockings, the property of the said Mr. Beckwith.
Mr. DOWLING conducted the prosecution, Mr. RAZASHAW
defended the prisoner.
The circumstances of this case were fully detailed immedi-
ately subsequent to the examination before the magistrate.
The prisoner was a shopman in the service of Mr. Beckwith.
Some suspicion was excited against the prisoner, and he was
apprehended on a supposition that he had embezzled certain
money. This charge could not be substantiated ; but the
office&found in his carpet bag five pairs of silk stockings.
The defence was, that the prisoner had been ordered to
take a quantity of silk stockings to wet them, that they might
be sold for wrecked property. He went to the kitchen for
the above purpose, but was driven out by the servant, who
did not wish him to make a slop. He went to his bed-room
to wet some of the stockings,—was suddenly called down,
and not liking to leave them lying about, he thrust them into
his carpet bag. Mr. Ramshaw said the above was the prison-
er's account of the affair. He questioned Mr. Beckwith re-
pecting a balance of wages alleged to be due to the prisoner.
Mr. Beckwith said he did not know the amount of the balance,
though he had received one or two attorney's notes, request-
ing payment. Mr. Ramshaw was questioning Mr. Beckwith
rather severely on this subject, when the Recorder said it had
been decided more than once, that if a servant behaved dis-
honestly the master was not bound to pay him any wages
that might have been due to him.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, recommending him to
mercy.

LARCENY.-A QUICK RECOVERY.
William George, 17, was charged with having feloniously
stolen twenty-five shillings, the property of Thomas Everard.
Mr. MURPHY was retained for the prosecution.
The prisoner had entered the tavern kept Ipy the prosecu-
tor, and having been left by himself for a few moments, he
opened the drawer of the bar, and took out 255. The prisoner
pleaded guilty. When placed at the bar, he had a cap on
his head ; and as it was stated that he was very ill, he was
accommodated with a chair. He appeared to be suffering
severely.

The -RECORDER having made some remarks on the bad
character of the prisoner, who has committed numerous de-
predations, said, he should not be doing his duty to the
community if he suffered him to remain longer in this country.
The Recorder passed sentence of seven years' transportation.
The RECORDER (to the jury.) There is some doubt about
his illness. The doctor has not been able to discover whether
he is really ill or shamming.
Mr. MURPHY.--I believe, sir, he has concussion of the
braid, from having fallen from the wall of the gaol in an
attempt to escape.
Mr. DOWLIN G.—No, he did not fall. He had not got on
the wall.

The prisoner, on hearing his sentence, jumped up and left
the bar unsupported. Mr. Batcheldor, governor of the gaol,
said the prisoner appeared quite well now. He had skipped
down the stairs unsupported, though he could not come up
without assistance.

Mr. MIIRPHY.—He is an " artful dodger." (Laughter.

DISCHARGE OF THE GRAND JURY.

At two o'clock, the grand jury, having finished their la-
bours, entered the court, and delivered their presentment,
which was as follows :--t• The grand jury, in finding the bill,
No. 2, for a misdemeanour, beg to draw the attention of the
court to the evil arising from the practice, too prevalent in
this port, of agents who take passengers for foreign ports
engaging a considerable number of persons as runners, who
have the privilege of going into the office, and thereby in-
ducing persons desirous of emigrating to believe that they are
authorised to engage passages, and to receive passage-money,
which authority, the parties afterwards find, to their cost, is
denied by the agents.
(Signed) " Jrio. DANIEL THORNELY, Foreman."
The grand jury had also received a memorial from the oil
merchants and wine merchants of this town, praying for the
appointment of a second port guager, and recommending Mr.
John Thomas Lloyd to that situation. The grand jury
acquiesced in the necessity for an additional port guager, and
recommended Mr. Lloyd to the office.
The sessions terminated at half-past five o'clock on Tuesday.

COURT OF PASSAGE.—THURSDAY.
The learned Assessor took his seat at the usual hour,
The first case called on was that of

JONES V. DEANE AND OTHER.

This was an action of debt for money had and received.
It appeared that the plaintiff was possessed of some pro-
perty in Liverpool, charged with an annuity of £25 per an-
num, payable to his aunt, and that being scant of zmoney, he
and she entered into an agreement to expose the property
for sale, and that she should be paid out of the proceeds of
the sale the sum of £l5O. In consequence of this agree-
ment, Mrs. Jones employed the defendants as her agents.
The sale was effected—they (the defendants) drew out the
deeds and had them executed by their client. Their costs
for their professional services were £l5, which the purchasers
(Messrs. Sixsmith and Hutton) and the plaintiff and his
agent declined to pay, alleging that the parties should pay
their respective costs.

The defendants in consequence declined surrendering their
deeds until their account was paid. The plaintiff, however,
was so circumstanced with respect to the purchasers, as v✓ell
as to his aunt, to whom he was bound to complete his en-
gagement, that he was compelled to pay the demands of the
defendants in advance, to get possession of the deeds. He
therefore, brought this action for the recovery of the money
so paid, alleging that he paid it under duress, having a bill of
equity to apprehend on each side, to force him to perform
his contract.

The ASSESSOR observed that it was too much to say, the
Fear of a chancery suit was a sufficient duress to maintain
this action.

A clerk to Mr. Booker, the plaintiff's attorney, was called
and stated the circumstances under which the negociation
was opened and terminated, as above detailed.
Another witness was about to be produced, when
The ASSESSOR said that, as far as the evidence of the
witness and counsel's statement went, no cause of action had
been shown. There was nothing stated to prove that com-
pulsion had been used, for money had been received—there
was no actual duress to pay the defendants their bill of costs.
The counsel for the defendants said the contrary was the
case, and to skew this, he read a letter from the plaintiff,
authorizing Messrs. Saunders and Lee to pay the defendants
their bill of costs.

After some further observations of counsel, the plaintiff
was nonsuited.

BUSHELL V. LAWLESS.
This was an action brought to recover the sum of £25.,
being the value of a cask of wine entrusted by the plaintiff
who is a wine merchant, to the defendant who is a carter,
and which the defendant, by the negligence of himself or
servants, had totally destroyed.
In the month of August last, the defendant was employed
to take several casks of wine from the King's Dock to the
plaintiff's stores in Rumford-place, and to be deposited in his
vaults there. The accident, as plaintiff's counsel contended,
was owing to the negligence of the defendant's servant, who
had fastened the sling round the cask in a careless manner,
whereby the damage alleged to have been suffered, was oc-
casioned. It was the duty of the defendant to save himself
from the consequences of this neglect, to chew that it was the
result of inevitable accident.
Witnesses were called on both sides, but their testimony
was contradictory on the main question—viz., to which party
was the accident attributable—the servants o the plaintiff, or
of the defendant.

The ASSESSOiI. gave it as his opinion that it was the duty
of the plaintiff's servants to see that the casks were perfectly
secured before they raised them from the cart to deposit
them in the vaults. The defendant's witnesses stated that
the cask which had been broken had been suspended for some
time, and was fully four feet distant from the cart before it
fell to the ground.
Under these circumstances the jury returned a verdict for
the defendant.

Another case was tried, and the court adjourned till this
morning.

PUBLIC MEETING FOR THE BETTER OBSER-
VANCE OF THE LORD'S DAY.

Yesterday evening, a very numerous meeting was held in
the Music Hall, Bold-street, for the purpose of adopting the
most effective measures for promoting the due observance of
the Sabbath. A great number of ladies were present, and
on the platform were many clergyman, and several influential
lay gentlemen. Amongst the former, we recognized the Rev.
Chancellor Raikes, Revs. J. H. Stewart, P. Buddicom, R.
Davies, John Jones, John Davies, H. F. Joseph, C. W.
Lawrence, Fred. Maynard, W. Maynard, D. Anderson, 1).
Roberts, E. J. Bates, H. Carpenter, F. Barker, &c.
A few minutes after seven o clock,
The Rev. CHANCELLOR RAIKES was unanimously called
upon to take the chair.

The business of the meeting was, at his request, opened by
prayer, from the Rev. Secretary of the Society.
The Rev. CHAIRMAN then rose, and said that he would
feel it necessary to trespass upon the attention of the meet-
ing, while he endeavoured to describe the nature and pur-
poses of the association whose objects they met to support.
And, in the first place, he would take the liberty of mention-
ing one circumstance, which he thought should be impressed
upon their minds, and which it would be profitable for others
to recollect, namely, that in coming to the consideration of
this important subject, they should dismiss from their pro-
ceedings all the usual formularies of public meetings, and
that they should not feel themselves, when assembledhere,
as if they were merely called upon to give their assent and
support to certain resolutions that would be proposed for
their adoption. This- course was necessary to be taken—it
was due, it was expedient, it was important for the proper
consideration of the nature of this society, which they felt
themselves bound to support, that the measure, the success
of which they were called upon to promote, should be re-
garded by them in a higher light, and one more becoming its
great importance, than such formalities prescribed, because
he was convinced that every individual who reflected upon
the simple question of the due observance of the Sabbath,
must admit, that it should not be looked upon in the ordi-
nary manner in which other subjects were generally discussed.
It involved. interests of the greatest importance, and he
could not conceive any question that so vitally and univer-
sally concerned the spiritual and temporal welfare of the
people. There were two objects, or rather two principles to
be considered in reference to it. In the first place,. the
the protection of conscience should be maintained the
poorer classes should be protected from the continued viola-
tion that their consciences now suffer, in consequence of
being obliged by their employers to desecrate the Lord's-
day, or abandon their employment, and permit their wives
and families to starve. (Cheers.) If they considered the
system of Sabbath desecration now pursued, they would
find that all other abuses creep after it, and that evils of
the greatest magnitude • gain dominion, the extent of
which they do not yet perceive, but in the end they
will be able to trace to the system the various acts
of violation of Christian duty, that disgrace and degrade
society, and that it is to this intolerable practice, that the
spiritual interests of man are so relentlessly sacrificed. It
would appear that the obligation of observing the Sabbath
has lost all its wonted force amongst the people of this coun-
try—the usage of violating it has been incorporated into our
domestic habits—and the custom of respecting it has lost all
attraction. Many, he was convinced, in the humbler walks
of life, felt keenly the stern necessity they were under of
neglecting the Sabbath-day--whose consciences were touched
by the compulsion they were under of working for their
families on that day. This society had, in a great measure,
relieved the handicraft workman from this intolerable oppres-
sion, and the success that has attended its exertions, as well
as the objects it still has in view, gave it a paramount claim
to the support of a Christian country. It was a protecting
society—it protected the conscientious feeling of the com-
munity from oppression, and thus tended to the develope-
ment of that moral feeling, which was—let politicians say
what they might—the only foundation of national strength
and of national prosperity. (Cheers.) He, therefore, con-
tended, that a society for the promotion of the becoming
observance of the Lord's day, was deserving of the support
of a christian country. It has hitherto been the boast of a
Britain, that he could stand upright in his native land, with-
out ft ar, where will that proud boast be, if this society will
have ;o come forward, and ask the government of the country
to interfere, and protect the people from the consequence of
the conflict, that they were now engaged in, between their
temperal interests and their moral obligations. (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) The moral sense of the people is now
excited on this question, but independent of this reason,
for his anxiety to have the Sabbath properly observed,
there was another view of the case he had to lay before
them. It was his firm conviction, that on the observance of
the Lord's day rested the whole of the spiritual religion of
the country. What was your knowledge available without
an interval of rest to exercise it? It was useless—your