The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-09-28 00:00:00

Bistrat PAM

The length of the mains laid down by the Manchester
Gas Works is upwards of one hundred ancfnine miles.
A SINGULAR FACT FOR NATURALISTS.—At Stack-
steads, on Wednesday, a hen was killed by Mr. J. Brad_
shaw, mechanic, and in the inside of it he found, to his
astonishment, a chicken, well formed in every part, but
in a state of rapid decomposition. It would appear that
the hen was unable to lay its egg, and the result was that
the chicken was hatched in its inside.—Manchester Exa-
miner.
WARNING TO DRUNRARDS.—AtManchester, last week,
a railway porter went home in a state of intoxication,
struck a light, and throwing himself on the bed without
taking off his clothes, accidentally set it on fire, but it did
not burst into a blaze. His wife, who had been out to a
ball, on coming home early in the morning, found smoke
issuing from the apartment. Her unfortunate husband
was then got out, but he had been dead for some hours.
TURN-our OF SPINNERS.—The proposed reduction of
ten per cent. on the wages of the operative spinners at
Mossley has caused a general turn-out of the body, and
thirteen mills are now closed. At a meeting of the spin-
ners at Ashton, called to assist the Mossley men, it was
resolved to cease labour in order to ease the market of the
ghat of goods, and prevent an otherwise inevitable reduc-
tion of wages there. On Tuesday five mills closed at
Ashton, and two at Duckinfield.
FLoons.—The late heavy rains have flooded the low
lands in the neighbourhood of several rivers in this locality.
The Mersey, in particular, near the Stretford and Altrinc-
ham road, on Wednesday, overflowed its banks, and
several of, the adjacent " water meadows" were quite
submerged. Advantage has been taken of this natural
irrigation to promote the productiveness of the soil, for
the slough-gates were not raised on Friday, and the waters
were still out, It is some years since so heavy a flood has
been experienced in that neighbourhood.

WESLEYAN METHODIST IftIEMONSTRATION.—The Wes-
leyan Methodists are about to get up a great demonstra-
tion in Manchester, to celebrate the return_ to parliament
of two of their body—the members for Knaresborough and
Stockport, Mr. J. P. Westhead and Mr. James Heald.
An influential private meeting has been held in Man'ches-
ter with this view, and it was determined to give a dinner
early in October to these gentlemen, which Lord Ashley,
M.P., Sir Culling Eardley Smith, Mr. Plumptre, and the
President of the Wesleyan Conference, are to be invited to
honour with their presence.
A lucky hit has been made by cottagers in Garstang
and its neighbourhood who have planted their winter po-
tatoes in Nateby and Winmarleigh, as they prove, in
getting them up now, to yield abundantly large, sound,
and excellent, and which potatoes will only cost them
about 3d. per score pounds. This price accounts at once
for the attempts of certain parties wanting to keep up the
report of potatoes being again a failing crop, so that their
friends may obtain 2s. for what cost them 3d, That this
amount of profit exceeds what is obtained on wheat, oat-
meal, or cheese making, there can be no doubt, and there-
fore it should excite no surprise to learn that selfish-
minded persons are using very questionable means to ob-
tain it.—Preston Pilot.
CULTIVATION" OF COTTON IN AUSTRALIA.—Last (Mon-
day) night, the Rev. Dr. hang delivered a lecture at the
Mechanics Institution, Manchester, on the capabilities
of the soil and climate of Australia for the growth of cot-
ton, by means of European free labour. We understand
that it is contemplated to send out a party of from fifty to
a hundred agricultural families to Australia before the
close of this year, under the superintendence of an expe-
rienced cotton planter from the United States. Should
they reach their destination, as they likely would by the
month of April next, it is calculated that they would be
able to gather the crop by the end of next year. As it
will only require an advance of about £6,000 to carry out
this experiment successfully, we can hardly doubt but that
it will be readily furnished by the men of Manchester,
who are so deeply interested in every measure which pro-
mises to increase the production of cotton.
HAIGH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—The annual meet-
ing of this society was held at Haigh, near Wigan, on Wed-
nesday last. The show of stock was superior to that of any li
former show. The report of the inspectors of farms was
most favourable, showing that energetic improvements in
culture had been manifested in the locality. The potatoe
disease was found not to be general, and far less virulent
than in past years. After the exhibition, about 200 mem-
' hers and friends of the society dined in the school-room,—
William Peace, Esq., in the chair. After the removal of
the cloth, the Countess of Balcarres, Lady Frances Lind-
say, Lady Eleanor Lindsay, and Lady Eleanor Low,
entered the room, and seemed to take a lively interest in
the proceedings. The usual loyal toasts were given, and
all the complimentary toasts of the day, not forgetting the
distinguished female guests present. The treasurer's re-
port showed a balance in favour of the society. The health
of the president (the Hon. Collin Lindsay) and of the
treasurer and secretary were then given, after which Che
usual toasts ; and the whole affair went off with the utmost
gratification and harmony.
BURSTING OF AN EMBANRMENT.—The almost incessant
heavy rains at the commencement of the week caused the
river Wyre, on Tuesday and Wednesday, to be filled to a
most extraordinary degree, and we regret to have to state
that on Wednesday, about noon, the weight of the accu-
nlllifit.Pri flood of vra fora urao *oo lostuy to ha lalrSerCS" 0;0
ted by a portion of the embankment at Stockingbridge,
near Garstang, and the consequence was that an inroad
was made into the adjacent roads and lands by the rush of
waters through an opening of the prostrated embankment
to the frightful extent in length of about seventy yards,
by which disastrous calamity we are sorry to learn that
, loss to a serious amount has been sustained by a most
worthy man—Mr. James Stuart, of the Stockingbridge
farm. The estate includes a breadth of about one hun-
dred acres of land, and it is painful to state that not a yard
of the land remains uncovered, whilst in the dwelling-
house the water in the lower parts of the house stood at
not less than three feet in depth. On the first approach
of the destructive element to the precincts of the devoted
farm, the most active measures were adopted for removing
the stacks of grain to a neighbouring one, more happily
circumstanced, in which the family fortunately, at great
risk, succeeded. They were not, however, so lucky in
preserving the winter stock of turf, which had been
stacked, and consisted of about fifty loads, all of which
were swept down the river and entirely lost. This appal-
ling and most uncomfortable state of things continued
without any amendment during the remainder of Wed-
nesday ; the roads, for two miles, between St. Michael's
and Great Eccleston, were rendered quite impassable,
being in most parts nearly two yards deep in water, and up
to Friday they were but little improved.