The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-22 00:00:00

STATE OP TRADE

MANCHESTER.—There was another gloomy market yes-
terday, and prices of yarn weie generally about Oh lower than
on the preceding Tuesday, with a very moderate business
doing. The market for cloth of all kinds was also very quiet,
and, notwithstanding the extensive turn-out at Stockport,
which has, to some extent, diminished the supplies of power-
loom cloth, the prices of the preceding week were barely
supported.
ROCHDALE PI:ANNE'. MARKET, MAY 18.—Therehas been
a tolerably fair demand to-day for the coarser kinds of flan-
nels, while those of a finer description have not been so much,
inquired after. Manuf►cturers are desirous to obtain a little
advance in prices; but the buyers have generally resisted it,
though they have been willing to give the former prices.
There has been a better demand for wool ; prices have been
firm, and rather looking up.
HUDDERSFIEI,D MARKET, MAY 19.—We have no change
of importance to notice in this day's market. The demand
continues very steady, and prices remain firm, with a tendency
upwards. Orders are increasing; and, consequently, work
is more plentiful. liminess in the warehouses is an average
for the season. Goods of the middle and finer descriptions
are roost in request.-7 Manchester Guardian.
BLACKBURN.—Our trade has presented no new feature of
importance during the past week, except having been more
languid and unsatisfactory : and the prospect for sonic time
to come is gloomy, unless it should be dissipated by the re-.
sults of a good harvest which we trust will be fully realized.

BARNSLEY.—This town at the present time is infested by
a host of daily beggars, principally Irish women; respectably
dressed people cannot go along the streets without being
stopped, and even laid hold of by them.—lbid.

A gentleman, last week, found a nest of that scarce and
beautiful little bird, the golden crested wren, in Ryhope Dene,
containing several eggs, and was gratified to see the pair of
birds, in beautiful feather, near to the spot.—Newcastle
Journal.

Prince Albert proceeds admirably in his study of the Eng-
lish language, and is a tolerable wit. When he was thrown
from his horse, the other day, in the Park, he said to his
Aide-de-Camp, who dismounted to render him assistance,
" Ah, ah ! I thought I had improved in my riding, hut I find
that I have fallen off !"
QUEEI TASTE IN A. RoBIN.—A robin has built its nest
this season in Mr. Robertson's saw-mill at the New Quay,
only a few feet distant from one of the circular saws, where
it now sits hatching, evidently delighted with the men, the
flapping of belts, and the hungry shriek of the saw when it
gets at the wood. Little red-waistcoat must have capital
tympana.—Dumfries Herald.

A NOVEL IDEA.—In a case of bastardy, at the Wakefield
Court House, on Monday, Mr. Wainwright, who appeared
for the defendant, endeavoured to get an admission from the
mother of the child, that she bad been to a.fortune-teller, to
get to know who was the father of the child ! Of course
his labour was in vain, but the idea produced a smile, which
could not be repressed by the gravest of their worships on
the bench.

The weather has been very favourable for the last three
days—on Saturday mild and balmy, notwithstanding some
smart showers ; on Sabbath, dry and sunshiny ; and yester-
day, although the wind still remained in the north, there was
no rain, while the gentle breeze was fitted to dry up the late
superabundant moisture. The country never looked more
promising in the middle of May.—Scottish. Guardian.
SQUINTING.—A most interesting and delicate operation
for the cure of strabismus, or squinting, has been lately ap-
plied to the human eye, with the most perfect success, by
Mr. Bennett Lucas. The report of the cases in the medical
journals shows, that the operation is unattended with the
slightest danger to the organ affected It simply consists in
dividing the muscle which draws the eye in the wrong direc-
tion; and when this is accomplished, it is impossible to de-
tect, after the lapse of a f-w days, which of the visual organs
had been the subject of operation.

The fact that woodcocks occasionally remain throughout
the year, and breed in this country, has this season been es-
tablished at Netherwitton, the beautiful seat of Raleigh Tre-
velyan, Esq., near Morpeth. In the romantic wood, a little
to the west of the mansion, a woodcock's nest was found
about a fortnight ago by the gamekeeper ; it contained four
eggs, and soon after four fine young birds left their shells, and
are now in the course of being reared by their parents, in a
nest prepared for them in the immediate neighbourhood.
RIBBLE NAVIGATION IMPROVEMENT.--The excavation
of the second length of rock is proceeding most satisfactorily.
The rock is considerably harder than that of the last coffer
dam, and the contractor. has therefore resorted to blasting,
which we understand answers the purpose admirably. The
channel of the river is already much improved by the clear-
ance of the rock, and when it is fully completed there can be
no doubt of a very important and permanently beneficial
effect being produced in this respect.—Preston Chronicle,
TEMPERANCE IN PURGATORY !—An old woman, who
some time since joined Father Mathew's Temperance So-
ciety, being last week on her dying bed, requested that her
" medal" should be suspended to her neck after death, and
buried with her. On being asked her reason for making this
request, she replied—"•Wisha, agra, share it would be worse
to dhrink the whiskey in purgatory than here itself, as the
burning within and the burning without would be too bad--
so, in the name of .God I'll take the meddle, and then if I
meets Mick Brien, or any of them ould neighbors that used
to be threating me, I can show them the meddle, and fait
then they'll not mind making me dhrink in spite of me, whe-
ti.er I like it or not, as they used to do at the fairs and pat-
terns."

STEAM PLOUGI-I.—On Saturday last a trial was made in
one of the fields on the estate of Possil, near Glasgow, of the
steam plough intended for the cultivation of the sugar lands
of British Guiana. This trial was completely successful.
The machinery consists of two iron boats, one containing a
small high pressure steam engine, with a drum, round which
the endless chain or rope is coiled, and the other a reversing
pulley, by means of which the chain or rope is extended, and
allowed to work which ever way is required ; the ploughs are
attached to this chain, and made to work backwards and
forwards with great rapidity and accuracy.—Glasgow Herald.
CUTTLE-FISH.—The noise of this fish, on being dragged
out of the water, resembles the grunting of a hog. When
the male is pursued by the sea-wolf, or other ravenous fish,
he shuns the danger by stratagem ; he squirts his black liquor,
sometimes to the quantity of a drachm, by which the water
becomes black as ink, under shelter of which lie•batlies the
pursuit of his enemy. This ink, or black liquor, has been
denominated by M. le Cat, eethiops animal, and is reserved
in a particular gland. It may serve either for writing or
printing, in the former of which ways .the Romans used it.
It is said to be a principal ingredient in the composition of
Indian ink, mixed with rice.
MORECOMBE BAY.—We have just seen, says the Lancas-
ter Guardian, a plan of the great scheme proposed by Mr.
Hague, the engineer of the proposed embankment over More-
combe Bay, to which is united the project of forming Lan-
caster into the finest port on the western coast of England.
Mr. Hague proposes to carry the Lune by a canal 150 feet
wide, to be cut through the level land from Oxlitie to Poul-
ton, where the waters, joining those of the Kent in the Bay,
would sweep out a deep navigable channel capable of bring-
ing up the largest vessels. He also proposes to form a float-
ing dock at Lancaster, to contain 12 acres, having at all
times 20 feet of water, with a ship-lock to take ships in and
out. Another great feature in the plan is the vast accretion
of land. In addition to 52,000 enclosed by the embankment,
Mr. Hague expects 20,405 acres to accumulate on the outside
of the embankment, and 26,581 aiong the shores from Poul-
ton to the 'Wyre. The following is Mr. Hague's estimate of
the expense and profits :
New channel from Lancaster to Poulton
Land to be purchased

X 76,873

Floating do(;Ic at Lancaster
Expenees in training the rivers and-embanking 38,352

164,325
Land reclaimed, 26,581 acres at £25. per acre.. G 64,525

Profit..

500,200

EFFECT OF VEGETABLES ON DIFFERENT ANIMALS.—
Horses have so great a repugnance to cruciferous plants that
they will not touch them, but will feed on reed-grasses,
among an abundance of which goats have begin known to
starve, though they often feed on other vegetables, and will
even become fat on water-hemlock, which is rank poison to
other quadrupeds. In like manner swine will devour hen-
bane, while they are destroyed by common pepperti• and the
horse which avoids the mild turnip will get into flesh; by feed-
ing on rhubarb. It is stated as a curious fact, that loan, if
he take the scrapings of the rind of alder, scraped one way,
it will act as a purgative, but if scraped the contrary way, it
will act as an emetic.
REMEDY FOR THE " FLY" IN TURNIPS.—For the pre-
vention of the ravages of this distructive insect, M. Wundram ,
a clergyman. at Darste, in Hanover, recommends, from many
years' experience, the employment of infusion of wormwood
road-dust. Boiling water is to be poured on a handful of
wormwood, and suffered to stand from 12 to 24 hours, so
that it may be perfectly cold ; then put the plants that are
to be planted out into the infusion, with the leaves downwards,
as far as the stem, so that their roots may not be wet, and
then put into a cellar, or some other cool place. In 6,8, or
10 hours afterwards they may be planted out,- for scarcely
an earth-flea-beetle (another name for the same insect) will
attack them. The bitterness lasts so long, that the plant
seldom requires to be sprinkled in its new station, unless fre-
quent heavy rains fall soon after the planting it out ; then it
would be a good thing, the next fine day, to sprinkle the
leaves with the infusion, by means of a whisp of straw.
Young plant and seed-beds, whether sown with the various
sorts of cabbage and turnip seed, radishes, cress, or tobacco,
&c., will likewise be successfully secured from the earth-flea-
beetle by a gentle sprinkling with this infusion of wormwood.
Plants may also he rescued from the greedy voracity of these
small devastators in a more simple and easy manner,
by
application of the second remedy, viz. road dust. The. the
dust
of chalky stones is to be gathered on the road in a line day,
and stowed up in a dry place for future use. 'As St)" as it
is perceived that the earth-flea-beetles appear on the seed or
plant-beds, a Light must be chosen when a great deal of dew
has fallen ; and while the young plants are still wet they are
to be thickly sprinkled with the road-dust, till they look as
if coveted with powder. Whether the dust is injurious to
the bodies generally, or only that by covering the leaves it
obstructs, or is injurious to the action of their masticating
o, is
fnrootmkntioiewiste;etbluatntdhepelaainttli-bileaedens-db: epteahtrleteisdcuuasllatlrliaysti,tio.rinthecdese
immediatelyy after the first
os unnt he
i pn leasn bt
sr
t
sprinkling, and washes off the dust, it must be repeated as
ghlttlyiellev}f wi.orlalointlaignsda
before.

Vortrp.

THE MINSTER.
BY MRS. HEMANS

" A fit abode, wherein appear enshrined
Our hopes of immortality."—Byron.
Speak low !—the place is holy to the breath
Of awful harmonies, of whispered prayer;
Tread lightly !—for the sanctity of death
Broods with a voiceless influence on the air;
Stern, yet serene !—a reconciling spell,
Each troubled billow of the soul to quell.
Leave me to linger silently awhile !
—Not for the light that pours its fervid streams
Of rainbow glory down through arch and aisle,
Kindling old banners into haughty gleams.
Flushing proud shrines, or by some warrior's tomb
Dying away in clouds of gorgeous gloom :
Not for rich music, though in triumph pealing,
Mighty as forest sounds when winds are high ;
Nor yet for torch, and cross, and stole, revealing
Through incense-mists their sainted pageantry :
Though o'er the spirit each hath charm and power,
Yet not for these I ask one lingering hour.
But by strong sympathies, whose silver cord
Links me to mortal weal, my soul is bound ;
Thoughts of the human hearts, that here have pour'd '
Their anguish forth, are with me and around ;
I look back on the pangs, the burning tears,
Known to these altars of a thousand years.
Send up a murmur from the dust, Remorse!
That here has bow'd with ashes on thy head :
And thou, still battling with the tempest's force—
Thou, whose bright spirit through all time has bled—
Speak, wounded Love! if penance here, or prayer,
Hath laid one haunting shadow of despair?
No voice, no breath! of conflicts past, no trace!
—Doth not this hush give answer to my quest?
Surely the dread religion of the place
By every grief hath made its might confect!
—Oh! that within my heart I could but keep
Holy to Heaven, a spot thus pure, and still, and deep !