The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-04-26 00:00:00

we confess that it is somewhat surprising that Van
Amburgh and his wild beasts should be considered of
such importance as to call forth from the able pen of
our talented contemporary a leading article of a column
and a half in linear ad.measurement. Surely, some
sudden and astounding change must have place in the
aspect of public affairs in the course of the last few
days ! Is it possible that the grand menagerie at
Downing-street has been broken up ? Have the ver-
min that have so long infested our Town-hall been ex-
tirpated ? Has the great Irish dragon been destroyed ?
Is there, then, in truth, no higher or more dignified
occupation left to the choice of our contemporary than
to flourish his cat-o'nine-tails over the devoted heads
of Van Amburgh and the manager of the Liverpool
Theatre ? Is it possible that our contemporary has
taken a dislike to political disquisitions ? Is he deter-
mined in future to devote his splendid abilities to the
task of correcting our theatrical taste ? Has he
any ambition to emulate the mimic thunder that so
much pleases " the gods" in the gallery ? If such be

his determination, we must be allowed to express
our unfeigned regret that the conservative public
should be deprived of the valuable services of our
distinguished coadjutor. Henceforth the whigs may
cheat and cajole, bluster or whine, just they please—
O'Connell and his Papist crew may prosecute their
work of destruction at their leisure—Joseph Hume
may cripple our navy as much as he likes—the
cut-throat Christinos in Spain may prosecute their
bloody task without molestation—the Autocrat may
pursue his plans of aggrandisement and plun-
der without fear—Jonathan may take possession
of the " disputed territory" without the trouble of
sending an Ambassldor Extraordinary to England—
and the Chairman of the Reform Association, " our
own dear Joshua," may make a fool of himself as often
as he fancies. Our contemporary has higher game
than these in view. His thunderbolts are hereafter to
be hurled at objects more worthy of his editorial wrath.
Van Amburgh and his lions have made their appear-
ance on the Liverpool stage, and have elicited marks
of enthusiastic admiration from crowded audiences.

In this ominous circumstance our contemporary has
discovered the latent germ of a fearful revolution,
which is to convulse all England, and, for aught we
know, to shake the foundations of the earth, and to in-
volve the whole planetary system in confusion and

But to be serious. We verily believe that the
article to which we have been alluding, must have been
penned in a moment of nervous excitement, superin-
duced, no doubt, by the appearance of Van Amburgh
and his wild beasts on the Liverpool stage. On no
other hypothesis can we account for the strange jumble
of ideas, the singular admixture of images, which the
article contains. The people of England—the ever-
green foliage of Shakspeare—the plough-boy—the
butcher's apprentice—the fishmonger—the smith—the
barber—the housemaid—the bowers of Paradise—
French paint and paste—pot-house wit—Negro filth—
Yankee coarseness—Mr. Van Amburgh—Nova Zem-
bla English—the Duke of Devonshire—the waves of
the sea—savage life tigers, hyenas, and monkeys,
sapping our educational system, our new lessons in
morals, our liberality in religion, and flinging our
poetry to the winds the Queen and her court—
Van Amburgh again—the French revolution—Lord
Brougham's natural theology—these are the topics
blended most mysteriously together by our contempo-
rary. The concatenation of ideas is passing strange.
We sincerely hope our contemporary will never look
upon wild beasts again, excepting when strongly and
securely caged. Otherwise we shall not answer for the
consequences.

WARRINGTON OPERATIVE CONSERVATIVE

ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of this association, for the appointment
of officers, &c., for the ensuing year, took place on Tuesday
evening, at the Town-hall, in the Market-place, and was
numerously attended by the members.
Previous to the business of the meeting, Mr. THOMAS
WILSON, the President, stated, that the room having been
used for an anti-corn law meeting, he endeavoured to ascer-
tain who had sanctioned the use of it for such a purpose, and
obtaining no satisfaction he waited upon John Ireland Black-
burn, Esq., at Hale Hall, and found that the room had been
used without his approval, and he (Mr. Wilson) had now
power to prevent a recurrence of it. Mr. B. also stated, that
he appreciated the objects of their association so highly that
he had determined to enlarge the room, and render it more
convenient and better adapted for their meetings. On the
appointment of the officers, Mr. Wilson said, that having
performed the duties of the President since the formation of
the association, a period of nearly four years, he had deter-
mined to retire, in order that some gentleman more compe-
tent to perform the duties of the office (though he would
yield to no one in zeal) might be substituted in his place. A
sound conservative friend had agreed to undertake those
onerous duties, and he hoped they would all be unanimous
in the election of that gentleman.
The officers for the ensuing year were then chosen, and
the Treasurer reported the funds to be in a very flourishing
condition.
Several toasts were then drank, and among the rest " Mr.
James Quin and the Protestants of Ireland," upon which
Mr. QUIN rose and said, that he was delighted to have the
pleasure to stand before a meeting of warm-hearted English
conservatives. In Ireland the protestants were a minority,
and therefore despised and treated with contempt by O'Con-
nell and his faction. The Irish protestants looked for
succour and support to their English brethren, who did not
sufficiently estimate their privileges, and could not do so un-
less those privileges were contrasted with the degraded con-
dition of the Irish peasantry, who were sunk in ignorance
and poverty through the blighting curse of popery.
The PRESIDENT, in acknowledging his health, detailed the
origin and progress of the society, and assured his friends
that he would continue to feel a great interest in the pros-
perity of their cause, though no longer their president, and
that his best energies would still he at their command.
Mr. JOSEPH CRISP, on his health being drank, assured
the meeting that unless conservatism was based upon sound
protestantism, it was of little worth, and urged them all to
be ready for active service, as a general election might be
nearer than they anticipated, and it behoved them to look
well to all who requested their suffrages, as unfortunately it
now appeared that there were some professors of conserva-
tism, who could and did shrink from a fearless defence of our
Protestant Institution, in Church and State.
After a very social evening, the party broke up about
eleven o'clock, and accompanied their ex-president home
with the band.

The Postoffice will be removed to the new apartments, in
the Custom-house, on or before the 10th of May.
MERCURY VISIBLE.—The planet Mercury, so seldom
seen by the unassisted eye, is now very distinctly visible in
the evening, from a few minutes before eight till a few minutes
after that hour. He is then a little to the right of the bril-
liant evening-star Venus, and is nearer the horizon.

INTELLIGENCE EXTRAORDINARY.—We copy the follow-
ing announcement from the Halifax .Guardian of Saturday :
" That magnificent steamer ' The Liverpool' is advertised
for sale to-day." Instead of " for sale" read "to sail."
The Liverpool did sail on Saturday, and we have no doubt
will make an excellent trip.
It is the intention of the Directors of the London and
Birmingham and Grand Junction Railway Companies to in-
crease the speed of the mail trains on their lines of railway,
so that the distance between Manchester and London, and
Liverpool and London, shall be accomplished in nine hours.
We understand that the alteration will commence on the Ist
of May next.—Birmingham Herald.
RHEUMATISM.—An instance of a very quick cure of this
painful malady has occurred under our own eye. The person
whose case we allude to had been for many weeks confined
by a severe attack of rheumatism all over the body, and tried
many expedients to remove it, but without success. She
was at length advised to try Barker's Pills, and in five or six
days was totally relieved from all pain. We record it in the
hope that a really effectual remedy for rheumatic pains has
been discovered, and that many may benefit from its use.—
Scotsman, June 11th, 1834.
CLASSICAL CHAMBER CONCERTS.—The second of these
delightful performances, under the patronage of the Mayor
and the gentlemen of the Liverpool Glee Club, will take place
on Monday next. The selection is of the highest order, and
from the great success attending the first of the series, we
have every reason to expect a very full attendance.
DELIGHTFUL BEVERAGE.—Some persons are always dry,
but this is not the case with the generality of mankind ; how-
ever, the season is at hand when all will frequently want a
draught to quench their thirst. In this kingdom we have
abundance of soda water makers, and we can strongly recom-
mend the soda water manufactured by Mr. Ellis, of Ruthin.
As to the cause of this superiority, our knowledge of che-
mistry does not enable us to form an opinion on the subject.
—See advt.

,
LIVER THEATRE.—Mr. Grossmith s benefit takes place
to-morrow evening, when the Liver Theatre will again be
closed, and his very talented sons make their farewell bow
to a Liverpool audience. We perceive they are to delight
the good folks of Chester to-night, and proceed to Wigan
and Manchester next week.
THE FORCE OF AFFECTION.—We have been informed
that the wife of Daniel Cole, who was lately committed to
gaol, charged with the wilful murder of Bailey the police-
man, is rapidly recovering, and that notwithstanding the
narrow escape she had from the fatally intended stab made
at her throat by her husband—(the clasp knife actually
penetrated her neck between the carotid artery and the
wind-pipe)—she manifests the utmost anxiety about him,
and in the presence of several of the officers of the Hospital,
a few days ago, she expressed a fervent hope that she would
speedily recover to comfort him. " Never fear, however,"
she said, " I'll be out of this time enough at any rate to
save his life."

FASHIONABLE ARRIVALS AT THE GRAND JUNCTION
HOTEL.—The Lord Primate of Ireland, the Ladies Anne
and Catherine Beresford, W. Seymour, Esq., (72nd High-
landers,) Thomas Gascoigne, Esq., Dr. Lloyd Jones and
family, H. Hart, Esq., Lady Featherstone, John Cromie,
Esq., Mrs. and Miss Cromie, W. Thorpe, Esq., H. May,
Esq., W. Wilson, Esq., Capt. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Coch-
rane, Henri Vereul, Esq., R. Sconce, Esq., C. Mullock,
Esq., Thos. Arkwright, Esq., Mr. and Mrs. Pringle, Thos.
Beattie, Esq., C. H. Mackenzie, Esq., C. Rembhard, Esq.,
Col. Wyndham, Rev. Mr. Gerard and family, C. H. Bews,
Esq., Percy Mogan, Esq.,. Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Dr. Cul-
lien, H. Bridgman, Esq., M.P. W. Clarke, Esq., the Lady
Gore Booth and family, G. Whittle, Esq., B. H. Craigie,
Esq., C. Batty, Esq., Sir Richard Bourke, W. Finlay, Esq.,
Mrs. Marshall and family, Rev. Mr. Elrington, H. Alexan-
der, Esq.
Lady Blessington's character of Lord John Russell, which
has been bandied about in the whig journals, seems to amount
to this, that he is an exceedingly agreeable person when you
have got rid of his shYness and his sourness.

SUICIDE BY POISON.

CORONER'S INQUEST ON THE
_ROBY%

Yesterday, an inquest was held by P. F. Currie, Esq.,
Coroner, at his Office, Lord-street, on the body of Elizabeth
Busby, who, it was alleged, had taken a quantity of lauda-
num on the evening of Tuesday, the 23d instant, and in con-
sequence thereof come by her death ; the melancholy cause
whereof will be detailed in the evidence.
It will be recollected that this unfortunate woman was tried
at the last assizes on a charge of attempting to shoot her
husband's brother, whilst she was under a violent state of
excitement from having taken a large dose of laudanum—a
practice to which she resorted whenever she and her husband
or his family had any contention, which it appeared was too
often the case. It was necessary on that occasion to apply
the stomach-pump. She was acquitted of the charge at the
assizes, as the jury did not think there was sufficient evi-
dence to criminate her. Since then her mind has been very
_

unsteady—alternately depressed and excited, and her con-
duct very eccentric. The circumstances of her trial having
been so recently before the public, and being also referred to
in the subjoined evidence, any further allusion to it here is

unnecessary.
The following jury were empannelled to investigate the
circumstances of her sudden decease, namely :
THOMAS FORSHAW, Foreman,
James Clegg, Samuel Chambers,
John Miller, George Sharp,
Joseph Mossop, Joseph Cafferatta,
James Crellin, Joseph Crone,
John Bond, and
James Clements, John Smith.
The CORONER having briefly stated the object of the en-
quiry, witnesses were called.

Jane Davis, of Richmond-terrace, Richmond-row, was
first examir_ed. She deposed, that the deceased Elizabeth
Busby lived in our house some time back, when we (my
husband and self) lived in Virgil-street. She used to call
occasionally to see me. On Tuesday night last she came to
my house when I was at tea. I asked her if she would have
a cup with us, which she had. She appeared, as I thought,
intoxicated, and went on singing in a merry sort of way. In
general this was her usual manner of behaving herself. My
sister and daughter were with me at the same time. The
deceased asked for some bread and cheese, which I gave her,
and she asked me if I would allow her to lie on my bed. I
told her she might do so for a short time, as I expected Mr.
Davis in soon, and he would not like to see her lie.on the
bed. She wished to lie down, as she said she had had some-
thing to drink. I went up stairs, from the kitchen where
we were sitting, along with her, and she laid herself •on the
bed. This was about seven o'clock in the evening. I then
left her, and went down stairs. About half-past eight or
nearly nine o'clock I went up to waken deceased, and the
first thing I saw was a tea-cup on the bed, and without look-
ing at her I was at once seized with a suspicion that she had
done something wrong. I took up the cup and went down
stairs, and immediately returned again along with my sister.
The deceased was quite black round the mouth. I tried to
awake her, but could not, and then I went as quick as I
could to Mr. Chalmers', the surgeon, and to Mr. Hicks',
Mr. Hicks was not at home, but Mr. Chalmers came imme-
diately. The deceased never spoke afterwards. She died
the next morning about four o'clock. In her pocket I found
some papers in her handwriting, which I now produce. I
have known the deceased for about eighteen months. She
was the wife of Mr. Busby, a coach driver, and was tried at
the last assizes for attempting to shoot her husband's brother.
Margaret Howard, sister of the former witness deposed—l
knew the deceased for some time past. She formerly lived
in my sister's house. I saw her at my sister's on last Tues-
day night, when she appeared very merry, and was singing.
I said to her I was glad to see her so well and in such good
spirits. She answered that she knew I would be glad of it,
but it was not so—she looked much better than she really
was, for hers were false looks, and she had taken a drop ;
she bared her bosom to me to show how thin she was, and
she looked very thin. I do not know the cause of quarrel
between her and her husband's family, but I know she was
tried at the last assizes for shooting at her husband's brother.
About an hour, or an hour and a-half after deceased went
up stairs to lie down on the bed, my sister went to awake
her, as her husband was coming home. My sister was not
a moment away until she came down stairs running, with
a tea-cup in her hand, and greatly alarmed she said to me,
" Oh dear ! oh dear! Margaret, I am afraid this creature has
been taking something bad, as I found the cup lying on the
bed beside her." (Mrs. Davis said this tea-cup belonged to
her, and was taken out of the kitchen by the deceased, un-
known to any of them.) I went up stairs with my sister,
and found the deceased lying on her side, and partly on her
back. 1 remained with her till she died. She was quite
black about the mouth when I saw her. She often spoke to
me of her husband, and was talking about him that after-
noon. She said he ill-used her, and that it was wrong of
him to take her from her father's and then leave her. The
night after he took her away from her father's, he hit her
and abused her.

By a Juror—The deceased was not deranged, but she talked
in a rambling manner, as a person intoxicated would do.
Thomas Chalmers, jun., surgeon, was next called, and on
being sworn said, I was called on last Tuesday evening about
a quarter past nine o'clock, to see Mrs. Busby. I found her
lying on her back on a bed in Mrs. Davis' house and quite
insensible. I first shook her roughly, seized her by the head
and called loudly to her, but without awaking her. I then
got a cup of cold water and dashed it in her face for the pur-
pose of arousing her, but it was of no avail. She breathed
in a convulsive startling manner, like a person who had
taken poison, or was in a state of apoplexy from natural
causes. I was informed she had taken poison. I used the
stomach pump in five minutes afterwards (having to send for
it to my house). On placing my finger in the mouth of the
deceased, there was no contraction of the muscles as is usual,
nor was there any necessity for using the gag which is placed
in the mouth before the tube of the pump is introdued. The
two phial bottles produced were found in her bosom, are
labelled with Mr. Warner's name, the other with Mr. Kane's,
both of which contained laudanum. (It was here observed
by the beadle, that Warner's assistant recollected selling
some laudanum to a female in the evening of Tuesday, but
he was unable to identify the deceased as the person.) The
two bottles, he had no doubt, contained laudanum recently.
If a person took an ounce of laudanum, he or she might live
eight or ten hours ; but the length of time would greatly de-
fend on their previous state of health, and present condition.

I saw the deceased at intervals till she died. There was no
doubt that her death was caused by an effusion of blood in
the brain, produced by varcatic poison.
By a Juror—l examined the contents of her stomach, but
could with difficulty detect the presence of opium, owing to
the quantity of spirits, of a sour spirituous smell, :that she
had taken. She was so insensible when I saw her, that she
offered no obstruction to the tube of the pump being placed
in her mouth. The muscles of the jaws are very irritable,
and she showed no disposition to vomit when it reached her
throat. I cut the jugular vein, and she did not indicate the
least pain. I applied mustard plasters to, her limbs, and they
produced no pain nor irritation, which would have occasioned
blisters had she been in a state of health.
Robert Jones.—l am assistant to. Mr. Kane, chemist,
William Henry-street. The deceased, whom I saw at Mrs.
Davis's subsequently, came to the shop on Tuesday evening,
about five o'clock, and asked for some laudanum, and what
the price of it was per ounce. I told her sixpence. She asked
for four pennyworth, which, she said, she required for a
sprained ancle. I recommended opodeldoc to her, or a com-
pound preparation of camphor with the laudanum ; but she
said she tried camphor before, and had found no benefit from
it. She brought an ounce bottle for it, (the same as has been
produced,) and I gave her it a little more than half full of
laudanum ; she then went away.
By a Juror—She appeared calm and collected, and not at
all intoxicated. There was a woman in company with her,
but not any of those now present.
John Jones was next called.—l am a builder • deceased
was my daughter ; she was twenty-six years old; she was
married to Mr. Busby in last August or September two years,
when I was in Wales ; she left her home with him ' • she never
complained to me of Busby's ill conduct towards her. I
don't know how they lived, but I heard others say they did
not live contentedly. They separated last Christmas, about
which time, I remember, she sent to me for some money to
buy leeches,:which she had to use, I was told, in consequence
of the abuse she got from her husband. She never attempted
to destroy herself while living with me ; but I was told by a
Dr. Ackland she had since made an attempt, owing to some
misunderstanding with her husband's family. I always
thought she was not perfectly right, she was so whimsical,
odd, and fanciful in her manner. I tried once to get her into
an asylum, before she was married to Busby, and was pro-
mised a certificate from Dr. Jones for that purpose.
By a Juror.—l paid rent for them both since they were
married. I furnished a house for them, and what has be-
come of the furniture I don't know, and I gave employment
to him at 20s. a week while he was trustworthy. I did every
thing to make them comfortable.
A brother of the deceased's husband stated, that an im-
pression was abroad that their family treated the deceased
badly. He said their family was against the match. His
brother was only 18 years old when they were married, and,
for his own part, he never spoke to her but once in his life.
They took every means they could to prevent the match—
he went to every surrogate in the diocese, and told them that
the deceased was already married to the mate of a vessel, and
was an ill-conducted woman. He then related some acts of
her misconduct, but the coroner and jury seemed not to relish
the statement, under present circumstances.
The CORONtR observed, that the unfortunate deceased,
whether culpable or not, was very harshly treated, and was
the victim of great oppression.
The father of the deceased admitted she had been married
before, and the report that her husband had a wife and chil-
dren in America then preyed greatly on her mind, but he
died before she was married to Busby.
The CORONER then stated to the jury that, in considering
their verdict, they were to recollect that the destroying of
one's self was not evidence of insanity ; because, if that were
the case, no capital felony could ever be brought home to the
accused. If the act of murder was an evidence of insanity,
the murderer would get off. Assuming that the deceased took
the poison, which was proved by the evidence of the wit-
nesses examined, the question was, was the poison taken
while she was in that state of nervous excitement, which the
letter written by her demonstrated, independent of the other
circumstances stated to show she was labouring under tem-
porary insanity.
The J [TRY returned the following verdict :—" That the de-
ceased destroyed herself by taking laudanum, while afflicted
with temporary derangement."

Besides the following letter written by the deceased, she
had marked several songs and psalms, the 109th particularly,
which she desired that Fred, as she called her husband,
should read to his mother, conceiving them, no doubt, appli-
cable to her case :

" They want thee for another,
And they have broken every vow;
They want thee for another,
And my heart is broken now.
They have laughed at all my sufferings,
They have heeded not my tears ;
They have severed in one fatal hour
The tenderness of years.
And was it well to leave me,
And for them, too, to deceive me ?
Long and sorely yet you'll grieve me,
When I am lost to thee.
" They will glory in my death, too,
For they have wished it oft to me ;
They will glory in my death, too,
For then thou wilt be free from me.
I know with falsehood they have won thee,
And your trusting heart beguiled ;
Your mother well may shun me,
For she knows I love her child.
Oh ! was it well to sever
Two poor hearts for ever?
I can only answer, never,
For I'm lost for e'er to thee.

" Your mother, too, has taught you
To hate me now, she says ;
If her memory does not chide her,
But perhaps, perhaps it may.
But, alas ! you too have spoken words
I can ne'er forget ;
And now my poor heart 's broken,
You 'll think, think of me yet.
But the curse that will be over you,
You never can forget ;
For all my dreadful sufferings,
You 'll think of me yet.

" Well, Fred, your mother has done now all she can do ;
you promised me last week, when you was with me, you
would never listen to her again. Oh, dear me ! was it not
cruel in you to coax me from my father's, and get me their
ill will, and the nest day to pretend to go home for your
clothes, and, when I came up to see yon, for them to drag