The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-08 00:00:00

Bristol, on i nursday, says—" We had a very bad mis,
We lost the trow, my wife and two children, and
one man a passenger. We came out with a fair wind, but
when we came to the Holmes a squall came off the land and
threw her down in an instant. My wife was standing in the
hatchway, and I told her the trqw was going down, but she
did not come up. I thought she went to get the two chil-
dren out of the bed, and before she could get back the hatch-
way was under water, and she could not get out. There
were nine on board, and five were saved. We were all in
the water. Three of us clung to the boat's side for five mi-
nutes till we could get on board, and then we were driven
across the channel to Newport River, where a tremendous
sea was running. We did not know how soon a wave might
swallow us up. Our sufferings were very great." The trow
at the time of the disaster was on her fifth voyage.
EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF DEPRAVITY.—A letter from
Naples gives the following account of an extraordinary case
lately brought before the criminal tribunals of Sorrento and
Otranto. In the former of these towns lived a family, con-
sisting of a man named Hieronimo Pascolo, his sou. Gas-
perino aged 31, and Nunziata, the wife of the latter, a wo-
man of 19, of such rare beauty that several painters of
Rome had visited Sorrento, for the purpose of painting
her portrait, and introducing it into altar pieces for the
churches. These three persons were living in great harmony
until a friend of the husband insinuated that Nunziata was
faithless. Gasperino, resolved upon ascertaining the truth
or falsehood of this charge, the denunciator having been un-
able or unwilling to point out the party for whom the wife
had sacrificed her honour, pretended that he was going on a
journey for several days, and secreting himselt when his
wife imagined that he was absent, entered her bed-chamber
at night. Here he saw Nunziata in a sleep, which appeared
to him to be that of innocence, and he was about to retire,
all doubt and jealousy removed, when she suddenly awoke
and left her bed. The husband placed himself in such a
situation as not to be seen by his wife, and watched her move-
ments. She left the room, followed by Gasperino, grasping
his dagger, and entered the bed-room of her father-in-law.
Gasperino, convinced by what he had witnessed, that his own
father was the criminal who had poisoned his domestic peace,
rushed upon the guilty pair and stabbed them both. The
father died immediately, and Nunziata gave no sign of life.
Gasperino then went and delivered himself up to the officers
of justice, avowing what he had done. He was tried by the
criminal tribunal of Sorrento, and condemned to death on the
ground that he had acted with premeditation, although the
wife, who had recovered from her wounds, admitted her
criminality, and declared that she had merely married the son
in order that she might have more frequent opportunities of
intercourse with the father, with whom she was in love. On
an appeal to the Supreme Court of Naples, the sentence of
the Criminal Tribunal of Sorrento was confirmed, but the law
officers of. the crown took some legal objections, and de-
manded that both decisions might be reversed, and a new trial
granted. This was done, and Gasperino being brought be-
fore the tribunal of Otranto, was acquitted.
COMMITTAL OF THREE NOTORIOUS BURGLARS.—On
Monday last, after a previous remand, Robert James, and
John Hoole were brought up before John Lister, Esq., on
several charges of felony. The charges against the prisoners
were numerous, and afforded a proof that their depredations
have been exceedingly extensive. The principal cases entered
into were the following :—Mr. William Thornly, of Close
Farm, Pleasington, deposed to two dueks and two drakes
having been stolen from his premises, which werc found in
the possession of Robert and James Hoole. Wm. Jackson,
of Houghton Lane, Walton-le-Dale, swore that two saws,
which had been stolen from him, were found in the possession
of John Hoole. Wm. Haworth deposed to having lost one
gimblet and one whetstone, which were also found in the
possession of John Hoole. James Singleton deposed to
having lost one brace-bit, one axe-shaft, one saw, and one
square, which were found it the possession of Robert Hoole.
Roger Hargreaves, of Houghton, deposed to having lost one
sack and a screw key, which were found in the possession of
Robert Hoole. Richard Pye, of Further Gate, Blackburn,
deposed to having lost a brace, which was also found in the
possession of Robert Hoole. Mrs. Bennett, of Walton-le-
Dalerinnkeeper, deposed to having lost, among other articles,
one decanter, which was found in the possession of James
and Robert Hoole. The last-mentioned witness had her
house, the Oak Inn, in Houghton Lane, broken into between
one and two o'clock on Monday morning, in April last. The
thieves had got in by pulling down a window which had no
fastening. They had tried to get through the cellar, where
there had been formerly a trap door, but which had been
built up at the out side, the door still remaining in the inside
and fastened. A crowbar was found by the window. The
thieves had only succeeded in obtaining possession of two
decanters, one nearly filled with brandy, and the other half
filled with rum. The prisoners were apprehended by police-
constable Thomas Carr, as we stated last week. He was
bringing a prisoner from Houdston to Blackburn, about
seven o clock in the evening of the 27th ult., when he came
up to James Hoole, who had a bundle under his arm. Know-
ing that he was a bad character, he insisted upon examining
the bundle, when he discovered the stolen ducks. He then
Pursued Robert Hoole, who was in company with James,
and this led to the further discovery of the stolen articles
above enumerated. All the prisoners were fully committed.
ORIGIN OF JIM CROW.—The New Orleans Picayune
states, that a few years ago Thomas D. Rice, now the negro
comedian, was an actor in a Western theatre ; and, though
he did some things cleverly, he was particularly remarkable
for nothing but being the best-dressed man in the company.
An original piece was got up, in which Rice was persuaded
to take the character of a negro, much against his will. He
consented only under the stipulation that he should have per-
mission to introduce a negro song of his own. Rice was
fond of riding, and frequently visited a stable in town where
there was a very droll negro ostler, who used to dance gro-
tesquely, and sing old fragments of a song about one Jim
Crow. Very little difficulty was found in transforming the
ostler into a tutor ; and in half an hour Rice was master of
symphony, melody, and all the steps, words, and drollery of
the famed and irresistible Jim Crow. The evening for the
dibit of the new play came on; and never did Kemble or
Telma study more intensely over the effect of costume than
did Rice in dressing for his negro part on this occasion. He
had easily contrived to throw together a few verses with
witty local allusions, and to heighten the extravagance of the
dance to its greatest extent of grotesque absurdity. The
play commenced, and went on dragging heavily and lamely
—Rice himself failing to stir up the drowsy audience with
his clumsily-written negro part, until the third act, where
the song came in. Utter damnation was lowering ominously
over the piece, and the actors had already pronounced it a
dead failure, when the hitherto-silent and gloomy green-
room was startled by a tumultuous round of cheers
breaking out suddenly in front. " What can that be ?"
said the manager, pricking up his ears. Another verse
of the song was sung, with the extravagant dancing ac-
companiment, and the house shook with still more violent
applause. " What is that ?" said the manager ; " who's
on the stage ?" Rice is singing a negro song," was
the reply. "0 ! that's it, eh ?" said the manager, who was
a stickler for " the legitimate ;" and concluded that an
audience which could applaud such a thing would be just as
likely to hiss it the next moment. But the new song con-
tinued to call down expressions of pleasure that could not by
any means be mistaken; and at the conclusion the manager
bounced out of the green-room, and down to P. S. to
listen to the loudest encore he ever heard in his theatre.
The play was anounced again ; but, after two or three re-
petitions, it was discovered that the song was all the audience
wanted, and so Jim Ciow emerged triumphant from the ashes
of a damned play, to delight Europe and America with—
" Turn about an' wheel about,
An' do just so,
eb'ry time 1 wheel about
I jump Jim Crow ?
A heals heah whooh I"
Ride soon found his way to New York, and Hamblin was not
long in snapping up the new card, which he made tell to as
handsome a tune as any other that the great caterer ever
ever played upon the Bowery boarjls.
" Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered ;"
and when Thomas D. Rice was playing William Tell in
Cherry-street, New York, he little dreamed of ever making
a fortune by singing Jim Crow
THE PEOPLE OF DIEPPE.--There is not a single family
in the town that admits visitors, or throws open its drawing-
room. Each lives in his house as though the deserts of Africa
commenced at his door. Here are no literary associations,
no clubs, no frequented coffee-houses, no reading-rooms, no-
thing, in short, that gives sociability to society, and that ac-
customs men to toleration. In other places too I have found
parties ; but these met occasionally, and conversed together,
and treated each other with civility at least, if not cordiality :
they were foes who shook hands at the advanced posts, and
chatted together familiarly till the trumpet summoned them
to the fight. Not so in Dieppe. The people of that town
are very honest, clever, industrious, nay, even temperate and
moral people ; but in a social point of view, they are real bad-
gers, who live in winter upon their fat, without ever quitting
their holes.—Excursions in Normandy.
THE LOTUS BIRD.—The white tents thrown out in strong
relief on the dark Pillage of the forest, were pitched on a
piece of open green 'sward, gently sloping towards a small
but clear and deep sheet of water, in whose placid bosom was
reflected the tranquil scene around, but broken here and
there by a partial carpeting of the broad-leafed lotus,. along
whose wavy surface skimmed with fairy flight the beautiful
bird which bears its name. So graceful is the flower of this
plant, that the Hindoos make it give birth to Camdes, the
god of love. But let us return to the bird : in shape it is
a pheasant in miniature, but, if possible, with much snore
splendid plumage, which changes to every tint of the rain-
bow as it lightly runs along the surface of the broad lotus
leaf, and the bright feathers catch the reflected rays of the
sun. It is enabled to support its light weight on this frail
tenure by the rapidity of its motions and peculiar shape of
the feet, which, although not webbed, have toes of such un-
usuallength, that theY cover a very large space ; and, like a
skilful skater, it glides with ease over a surface apparently
inadequate to its support.—Scenes and Sports in Foreign
Lands, by Major Napier.