The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-18 00:00:00

LOCAL NEWS

ROBERT HECTOR.—The sentence on Robert Hector, sur-
geon, who was convicted at the last Liverpool assizes, for
rape on a married woman, and against whom sentence of
death was recorded, has been commuted to twelve months'
imprisonment.
Among the passengers in the Columbia, were Mr. Mrs.
and Miss Vandenhoff and other members of the family.
Captain Miller of the Acadia, who was left behind ill, also
came in the Columbia, perfectly' restored to health. He will
sail to-morrow, in command of the Acadia, for Halifax and
Boston.
DARING ATTEMPT AT ROBBERY IN THE STREET.—At
the Police-court, on Friday, a stout man, named John Mur-
ray, was placed at the bar under the following charge :—On
Thursday night, the prisoner and two other men were seen
to attack Mr. Gurnall, an elderly gentleman, in School-lane.
A policeman deposed to capturing the prisoner just as he was
pulling the watch out of Mr. Gurnall's fob. The two others
ran away. The prisoner offered great resistance to the
officer, but was finally secured. Mr. Curnall said he was
attacked at the time stated, by three men, and received a
violent blow on the head. Two of them seized him by the
arms, and the prisoner put his fingers down his (witness's)
fob, and was in the act of pulling out his watch, when the
officer came up. The chain was pulled out, and the glass
broken. He was committed for trial at the sessions.
A DEAR NAP.—On Friday, a fine-looking little sailor
boy was brought before Mr. Rushton, amongst several others,
for sleeping on board a vessel during the watch-hours ; the
dock regulations requiring a watch to be kept for the two
hours before high water and two hours after it. The poor
fellow was fined 2s. 6d., with 2s. 6d. costs. On paying the
money he said, " Sir, it is too much to pay for an hour's
sleep. I was working hard all day ; I watched for two hours,
but was then so much fatigued that I fell asleep." Mr.
Rushton said, " Aye, it is too much certainly, to ask such
boys as you to keep watch after a hard day's work." Mas-
ters should be more considerate, and not, for a mere paltry
saving, exact a duty from mere lads which they can scarcely
be expected to perform, however willing they may be to obey
their superiors.
SOCIALISM.—Amongst those who had the honour of being
presented to her Majesty at the Levee, on Wednesday last,
was John Brindley. Esq., the untiring opponent of Robert
Owen and the Socialists.,. That gentleman, with the Rev. J.
H. Woodward, the Rev. P. Young, and P. F. Aiken, Esq.
were appointed a deputation to present, through the Home
Secretary, the Bristol address to the Queen, complaining of
the evils of Socialism. it had 10,000 signatures, and was
headed with the name of the Lord Bishop of the Diocese. A
second address, from the female inhabitants of the same
place, contained 20,000 signatures. Petitions to both
houses were also sent in, each containing 10,000 names, with
occupation and residence.
THE ATLANTIC STEAMERS.—The Columbia and Great
Western, have both proved themselves first rate steamers.
The former accomplished her last passage from Boston to
this Dort in thirteen days and fourteen hours, having remained
at Halifax several hours, and the latter performed the voyage
from New York to Bristol in thirteen days and six hours.
The Great Western reached Bristol on Friday evening at
eight o'clock, and the Columbia was off Holyhead on Satur-
day morning at six. The Great Western brought ninety-
seven passengers, and the Columbia fifty-five. The tide of
emigration still runs strongly towards the United States;
350 passengers sailed for New York, on Sunday in the Ros-
cius.
NEW STEAM-BOAT ON THE BRIDGEWATER CANAL.—On
Thursday, the 6th instant, a new steam-boat was tried on
the Bridgewater Canal. She is built of iron, and worked by
a new description of propeller, or " revolving screw scullers, '
the invention of Mr. Peter Taylor, of Hollinwood. The
arrangement consists of a series of oblique vanes or curved
blades, which are affixed upon two shafts or axis ; each set
is six feet in diameter : the vanes of one work between the
vanes of the other, in the same manner as the teeth or cogs
of wheels. By this arrangement the two sets, although six
feet each in diameter, are together contained in a paddle box,
only nine feet eight inches in width, the smallness of the
space occupied offering great convenience for passing locks
of canals. Tne apparatus is well protected from the banks
and bottom of the canal, with neither of which it can conic
in contact. The vessel started from Manchester on Thurs-
day morning with a timber float, which she tugged up to
Preston Brook, and returned the same day, (the whole dist-
ance being about 50 miles,) tugging on her return three
I loaded boats, belonging to the Bridgewater Trust.

THE BRITISH QUEEN STEAM-SHIP AND THE PRESI-
DENT:—The non-arrival of the President has, we regret to
hear, involved the families of her very numerous crew in the
deepest distress. On the supposition that she may have been
lost, the pay which they have been accustomed to receive has
been stopped, and the sudden deprivation of a source of in-
come which was necessary to their maintenance has left them
in the most unfortunate condition. The public caunot fail to
feel for their distresses, and will doubtless, alleviate them to
the extent of their power. In order to raise a fund for their
assistance, we perceive that the British Queen is to be open
for general Inspection, during to-day and to-morrow, at six-
pence per head.