The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-01-17 00:00:00

THE "MERCURY" SUNK BELOW ZERO.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
SlR.,—Will you be kind enough to inform your readers the
cause of the great falling off in the circulation of Mrs. Twad-
dle, of the sign of the Pigeon and Penny Trumpet, in Lord-
street? Why has she dropped the blazing announcement
which was wont to grace the most conspicuous corner of the
twaddle-sheet on each successive Friday morning?
Why the doleful lamentation on Friday last, over " our
sacrifice of interest in our advocacy of the penny postage?"
for who doubts the disinterestedness of Mrs. Twaddle ! Who
would ever suspect the old jade of advocating the penny
postage, without foreseeing that the " Brokers Circulars"
would cost them less than fivepenny Afercuries Nobody,
nobody. We all know old Twaddle to be too great a patriot to
allow Isis own interest to have any weight whatever in the
consideration of a " great national question." On the con-
trary. Mrs. Twaddle had foreseen all this loss at the com-
mencement of her disinterested advocacy; she only forgot to
say anything about it until she felt her penny patriotism press-
in" down the quicksilver !
But, sir, I asked you to inform your readers Why " our
circulation," as published by the old lady herself, " for the
quarterending in April last amounted to 7824 weekly;" and
this trumpeted forth weekly to catch advertisements, had
fallen to 7326 for the succeeding quarter ending in June, and
still further reduced to 7000 at the close of the year, for the
yearly average ; so that she dared not to give the quarterly
average as before, I apprehend, as that would reduce " our
circulation" to 6824, probably, instead of 7824, as given in
April last. I hope that the conservative subscribers to that
twaddler will still see it their duty to withdraw their support
from it.
Has its low Billingsgate attacks on the clergy of the town
anything to do with falling off in " our circulation"—its per-
petual misrepresentations of Protestants, and its transparent
attempts to mask the villainy of Popery—is it attributable
to these causes or is it not ? Ask yourself, Mrs. Twaddle,
these few questions, and let us hear the lying story by which
you will extricate " our circulation" from this sad appear-
ance of a falling concern.
N.B.—Mr. Rathbone has not been reminded, for the last
three weeks, of the spitting business—has he sent in a
hint I—Yours, OLD TORY.

Yesterday morning there was a conference at Sir Robert
Peel's, when the Duke of Wellington, Earl of Aberdeen,
Lord Ellenborough, Lord Stanley, M. P. the Right. Hon.
Sir James Graham, M.P. Sir Henry Hardinge, M.P. the
Right Hon. Henry Goulbourn. M.P. and several of the lead-
ing conservatives attended.—Morning Herald of yesterday.
POST-OFFICE REGULATIONS FOIL THE HOUSES OF PAR-
ElAMENT.—Arrangements have been made, by which mem-
bers of parliament will be enabled to past letters written at
the two houses, without the difficulty which would occur in
paying a penny with each letter. Covers will be sold to
members at the house, on payment of the postage, but such
covers will only be available if posted at the houses of par-
liament.
GRAND BANQUET AT APSLEY HOUSE.—Last evening his
Grace the Duke of Wellington gave a grand dinner at Apsley
House, to a numerous and distinguished party of his sup-
porters in the House of Lords. There were present the
Duke of Beaufort, the Duke of Newcastle, Duke of Rutland,
Duke of Dorset, Duke of Buckingham, Duke of Montrose.
Duke of Buccleugh, Marquis of Londonderry, Marquis of
Bute, Marquis of Downshire, Marquis of Salisbury, Earl of
Wilton, Earl of Aberdeen, Earl of Jersey, Earl Bathurst,
Earl olladdington, Earl of Eldon, Earl Cawdor, Earl
Clanwilliam, Earl of Shaftesbury, Earl of Lonsdale, Earl of
Winchilsea, Viscount Beresford, Viscount Strangford ;
Lord Lyndhurst, Lord Abinger, Lord Ellenborough, Lord
de Roos, Lord Montagu, Lord Maryborough, Lord Cowley,
Lord Forester, Lord Wharucliffe, &c.-31oenike Herald V
yesterday.
NEw AND EASY METHOD OF GENERATING CHLORINE
GAS.—It may not be generally known to our readers, that
chlorine gas may be generated in an easy manner, and a pure
state by means of chloride of sodium (salts), nitric acid, and
some metallic oxides. The process and the quantities which
I employ are as follows:—Some chloride of sodium is put
into as much water as will dissolve it. A sixth part of nitric
acid, and as much black oxide of manganese or peroxide of
lead (minimum), is next added. A gentle heat is therrapplied
to the vessel, when the gas passes over in great abundance,
and is very pure. The chief advantage of this method is,
that there is no sudden and violent action, nor any chance
of
sedj
breaking._ atnling
the vessel,
0
se,l, whichf is the case when sulphuric acid
is u
the Chemist.
A WORD IN FAVOUR olAshsenesii.B.
—t We should like to
know by what right ilisop and Gay, and all the fable-mon-
gers, from Jotham upwards, have pitched upon one unhappy
animal, and made him a mock and a by-word and a laugh-
ing-stock for all succeeding generation to crack their " fool-
bornloyr
o is
ussome-
thing
.he
stretches
ridiculous; his very N
jests"
upon. Now, in l .
out his head and elevates its antipodes with all the
pride of a peacock ! his hiss is most superlatively self-com-
placent and contemptuous—it is elocinent of irrepressible
misanthropy ; a child can see through his pretensions to
dignify ; his folly breaks out in the very means which he
takes to hide it, but an ass ; pshaw ! there is no deceit about
an ass ;—he pretends not to beauty which be does not possess ;
he makes no ostentatious display of his sagacity ; he is con-
tent to slip through existence as peaceably and silently as we
will let him; he wants but little, and he gets it; he can
teach as many lessons as the ant. arid he finds, if possible,
fewer disciples.—Blaekwood for January.
INDIAN SUPERSTITION.—The power of the Datar is sup-
posed to be peculiarly shown upon this spot ; and his aid is
here, it is believed, most successfully entreated. Nume-
rous poor people, from all parts of Western India, when.
afflicted with leprosy, travel hither, and enter into vows to
remain until the merciful Datar vouchsafes a cure. If their
sufferings from this cruel disease are of long continuance,
suicide is commonly the result ; the belief being general,
that, in the event of a leper dying a natural death, the
disease descends to his posterity. A few days betore we
visited the sacred hill, an aged leper desired permission from
the British authorities to east himself into the sea at Man-
grole : this being refused, he left Junagarth ; and about three
miles from the city, the aged sufferer caused himself to be
buried alive; his only son, for whose immediate sake the
act was committed, covering the grey hairs of his afflicted
parent with an earthern water vessel.-111ra. Postans's Wes-
tern India, in 18313.
HABITS OF THE Fox.—The fox is fond of fish. When-
ever a litter of cubs happens to be laid up, if there be a well-
stocked fish-pond within a reasonable distance, fish bones
arc sure to be found ut the mouth of the subterranean retreat
as soon as the cubs have attained sufficient strength to devour
such food. Reynard is remarkably sagacious in avoiding
traps and snares set for his destruction : it is almost impos-
sible thna to deceive him. A few years since a couple of
foxes made their appearance on the extensive manor of
Wrightington, in Lancashire, belonging to Charles Scars-
brick, Esq., which the keepers were anxious to destroy—
and, be it recollected, no fox hounds are kept in the county
of Lancaster. These foxes had no doubt descended from
the hilly moorland country some miles to the south-east, to
feed upon the rabbits which literally swarmed in one part of
the township. In vain the keepers set snares, set traps nicely
concealed with earth; the foxes were not to be thus deceived;
in defiance of every expedient, these cunning animals main-
tainede happened to be shooting on
mentioned
their ground. W
keepers
sciot them?"
WtherieughbjetingtgTainlaxiciat the when one one ofvutheyliweept
we abstrved.--SOrtni#4l.* Alatto43/.

-
71:1

'es,'
s

w,
v ~~.
,p S

OUTBREAK or THE CHARTISTS' IN SHEFFIELD.

(From the Sheffield Iris.)
Information having been received by the magistrates that
the chartists were to have a meeting somewhere in Sheffield,
late on Saturday night or early on Sunday morning, they re-
solved to adopt measures to prevent any outbreak, and ap-
plied to Colonel Marten, who sent picquets out. on all sides
of the town, and had his troops in readiness, part in the
Tontine yard, and the remainder at the barracks.- In the
outskirts of the town some of the policemen were fired upon,
and others attacked with pikes and bayonets, and we regret
to add that some of the wounds inflicted are of a serious na-
ture. One man, who, from being dressed in a rough coat, it
is supposed, was mistaken for a policeman, was tired at, and
so dangerously wounded that he was conveyed to the In--
firmary, and twenty slugs have been extracted by the surgeon
from his neck and shoulders. Others have been much hurt.
One had his bat penetrated by a ball, which grazed the upper
part of his scalp, without doing further injury. In the course
of the night several were taken prisoners, and a great quaquan-
tity.of muskets, pikes, daggers, cats (an instrument with
three prongs, which is meant to be thrown on the ground to
destroy the horses' feet), powder, balls, grenades, &c. were
seized. At one place the police discovered a regular store of
these deadly weapons, and they were brought to the office in
a coach, the body of which was nearly filled by them. The
picquets on the Glossop road met a considerable body of
men marching towards the town, about half-past one in the
morning, the " shine" of whose spears was distinctly
visible. The picquet approached within twenty yards of
them to make certain, and immediately came to the Tontine
and gave the claret. On the other road bodies of men were
also seen, but the preparations made evidently had the
. effect
of intimidating them from entering the town. Dung the
Whole of Sunday the greatest excitement prevailed in the
neighbourhood of the Town-ball, where a troop of the Ist
Dragoons were on duty, and at five o'clock the yeomanry
were called out, who continued to parade the Haymarket
and neighbourhood during the whole of the night. 1 ester-
day a great number of prisoners were taken, -examined be-
fore the magistrates, and remanded. Some of the magis-
trates have been in attendance since Saturday afternoon.
From inquiries at the Infirmary last evening, we hear that
the watchman, Howe, who has two sword-cats in the neck
and a wound in the back, is doing very well. We under-
stand he was also fired at several times up the Glossop-road,
but without effect. Henry Taylor, who was wounded beyond
the Twelve-o'clock, by a number of slugs being fired into
his side and back, being a worn subject, otherwise in a worn
state of body, is not doing so well. Taylor says he had no
intimation of the attack, nor any given by which he could
conclude whence it proceeded. He is said to be a chartist,
and that he had by some means given offence to his asso-
ciates. The circumstances under which this last individual
was shot are curious. We understand he was proceeding'to
Attercliffe, in company with another man, to fetch a relation
to attend on his wife, who was poorly ; and on arriving at
the first row of houses past the Twelve o'clock, in the Wicker,
be was shot in the back. His companion then left him, and
has not since been heard of. The poor man contrived to get
to a beer-house in the row, and having knocked at the door,
he dropped to the ground. The inmates of the house, who
--avere- Jest 1 ncvever came down stairs, and
every attention was paid tote wounaea man. L...
surgeon, of the Wicker, was sent for, and extracted a num-
ber oi Au., his body. At five o'clock in the morning
he was conveyed to the Infirmary. There is another rumour
afloat, that he was a chartist, and was shot by one of the
same class whilst running away from the main body.
There are rumours in the town respecting outbreaks in
Dewsbury, Mansfield, Barnsley, &c.
It appears to have been a generally pre-arranged plan
throughout the country to have an ourbreak shoeld Mr. Frost
be convicted. The troops at Nottingham, Stockport, &c.,
had received notice to be in readiness.

TOWN-HALL, MONDAY.
EXAMINATION OF CHARTISTS CHARGED WITH
HIGH TREASON.

The following prisoners were placed at the bar :—Hol-
berry and his wife, Mary Holberry, Booker, Foxall, Booker,
jun., and S. Thompson, most of whom had been taken with
arms in their possession. The large table of the Sessions-
room was filled with articles taken from the prisoners and
from the houses of the chartists, consisting of hand grenades,
two large balls, a large quantity of other combustible mate-
rials, also great numbers of long pikes, daggers, swords,
spears, guns, pistols, cats, and ball cartridges, giving to an
observer a fearful idea of the horrible nature and extent of
the proceedings of the physical force chartists in this town.
Mr. Thomas Raynor, examined.—l am superintendent of
police. 1 am aware of meetings having been held in the
rooms in Fig-tree-lane ; on Thursday and Friday evenings
last I saw persons going in and out; from information re-
ceived, I expected that some disturbance would take place
in the town some way or other, but how I was not informed.
About twelve o'clock on Saturday night I went to the house
of Holberry, No. 19, Eyre-lane, in company with Mr. Wild
and some policemen ; we saw a female, the wife of Holberry.
Wild asked her if one Hartley lived there: she said, " No
he did not. I know who you want, you want a person of the
name of Otley." In consequence of what she said we went
up stairs, leaving the policemen below. We found the pri-
soner laid on th bed in the chaniber, dressed all but his
' shoes ; he rose up in bed, and Wild said, " What have you
in your pocket?" He made no answer, and Wild took a
dagger from his side pocket, whilst he was resting on the
bed with his hand. Wild asked him if he was one of those
persons called chartists ? He said, " I am." 'Wild then
said, " Are you a moral or physical force man ?" I then
looked at the dagger, and said. " Surely you would not take
life ?" He said, " But I would in obtaining the charter, and
in defence of liberty." " Mind, (he said) lam no thief,
no robber ; I will fight for the charter, I will not. rest until I
have got it; to that I've made up my mind." Wild said,
" ou are very candid." I proceeded to search the box, and
the prisoner said, " You'll not find anything there, what you
want is up stairs, and I'll go with you." Wild said," You
must go down stairs." He still urged to go up stairs." We
took him down and left him with the police. We then went
up into the garret ; the first thing we saw was a horse pistol
placed within reach of a person going up stairs ; it has since
been drawn, and was found to be heavily loaded with shot ;
we found also twelve hand grenades, one and a half dozen
fire balls, neade of pitch and tar, three dozen of tin cases
wrapped in tow or bards, three torches, (the prisoner said
they were to light the grenades with) forty pieces of ball
cartridge, a hundred or two of iron bullets, fuse condncters,
iron pot with pitch in it. We brought the prisoner to the
Town-hall. I held the pistol in my hand and said, " Surely
you would not shoot me ? " He said, "0, yes, I would, in
obtaining the charter ; I will fight for liberty and,the charter."
I have seen a grenade opened ; we cut the strings, and found
first a coat of herds, then pitch covered with small pebble
stones and a bullet ; in the centre a blacking-bottle stopped
up with a bit of wood with a hole through it ; a quill through
the hole filled with gunpowder, the bottle was filled with
blasting powder and slugs. Thomas Adcock, a watchman,
was brought in wounded in the arm about two o'clock, and
another watchman was also brought in wounded about four
o'clock; Isis name is Howe ; he was very bad; was brought
in a hackney coach •, he was cut in the back and several
parts of the head. Information was given of a man being
very badly wounded near the Twelve o'clock ; sent down a
stretcher for him ; sentboth the latter men to the Infirmary.'
The prisoner Bdoker, the cider, was brought in between
four and five o'clock; he lives in Bennet-lane ; I went there
with Wild, Bland, Lieutenant Nichol, and a party of soldiers
and policemen ; found there the two young men Booker and
Fordaall ; the house is in a yard. On searching the house
found a gnu over the- chimney- iece ; Bland found another
gun in a corner in "pieces, and Wild found a loaded pistol in
a lower room. The wife of the elder Booker was in bed,
and there was lying at the foot of the bed 391 ball cartridges
in different quantities. Found also two large bomb-shells
about nine inches in diameter, two hand grenades similar to
those found at IlolberrY's four daggers, and a long sharp
pointed staff, down stairs. When they got to Booker's house,
the two young peisoners were sitting b . the fire, dressed, and
appeared as if lately come in. There is no other chamber or
bed in the bouse, but thinks there is a garret.—l went to
search Samuel Thompson's house about seven o'clock in the
morning, situated in the Wicker ; Wild, Bland, Lieutenant
Nichol, and policemen accompanied me. Found a dagger in
a basket containing groceries ; Bland took it ; the father said
they were hii sons. In an upper room of the house saw a
very long knife amongst the furniture ; it was said to be
the younger Thomson's. Down stairs found in a cupboard
seval chartist soogs. Since that time, that is, on Sunday
and Monday, a great many pikes have been brought to the
Town-hall. A dagger in a case, finely got up, similar to that
found at Holberry's, along with .two others, were found near
the Dams ; some of the handles to the pikes would be nine
feet long. When Samuel Thompson, the younger, was
brought in, two swords and two daggers were brought along
with him. The soldiery were on duty the whole of the night.
I was in Scotland-street between five and six. o'clock, with
ten policemen and a division of infantry; also in other parts
all over the town. In Scotland-street saw several persons at
a distance ; ran after three or four of them up a passage,
when they jumped over a wall and threw away a pistol ; went
along with Wild and Bland to a person's house in St. Philip's-
road ; his name was Benjamin Glossop ;it was about -ten
o'clock on Sunday morning; we found materials for making
grenades, a dagger, and ball catridges ; there was no person
in the house, so burst open the door.
Gregory Nance, a policeman, went on duty about ten
o'clock on, Saturday night ; went towards the Dams about
twenty minutes past four o'clock ; saw three persons in a
lane past the Dams ; when he saw them they ran away ; he
pursued ; two of them got over a wall ; saw something in
the hand of one of them ; saw him throw it away ; it was a
dagger in a stick ; the one now produced was found close to
the place. When I got to Booker, he had his hand over the
wall ; on the other side of which was found, at the place the
first man got over, a belt ; the bundle of cats and a dagger
was found a little further off, and about where prisoner stood ,•
gave him in charge to a policeman.; saw another dagger and
a pistol which was found about the same place.
John Hadcock, a watchman, was on duty near the Infir-
mary, between twelve and one o'clock on Saturday night ; I
observed a party of men coming towards me ; there were
from twenty-five to thirty of them, most of them armed with
Spear's ; I gave way for tNem ; they did not speak a word ;
nothing was said ; they attacked me with Spears ; they pre-
sented them to me, and I drew out my paddle to defend my-
self as well as I could; in the scuffle I seized one of the
spears, and one of them was run through my arm, and ano-
ther cut my cheek.
Several other witnesses proved that they saw armed par-
ties in various parts of the
town, and found pistols, daggers,
&c. in the streets after the people were dispersed.
The investigation was adjourned, and the prisoners, in
consequence of the improper demeanour of the assemblage in
'court, were removed whilst a detachment of dragoons, 25 in
number, stood round the councillors' table and boxes with
drawn swords.
At a late hour on Monday all was tranquil, and the town
presented its usual appearance,
with the exception of the
soldiers patrolling in the principal streets.

FURTHER CHARTIST MOVEMENTS IN
YORKSHIRE.
- -

(From the Morning Herald of yesterday.)
DEWSI3URY, YORKSHIRE, JAN. 12.—Last night the town
was taken possession of by an armed body of men, and then
private watchmen, six in number, obliged to fly. Mr.
Matthew Hale, .merchant, who was out as an inspector of
the watch, on, going towards the Leeds-road-end, was stop.
ped by about twenty, with muskets and daggers, and bid to
stand, which he did ; and on finding that he would not be
allowed to proceed, turned round and retreated homewards,
when he was immediately fired upon, but fortunately without
.re„eeiving any injury. The party afterwards continued to fire
their Pieces on for upwards of three hours. Upwards of 200
discharges were fired. Some trifling damage has been done
to the lamps and posts, the lights being all put out, and
stones were thrown through the windows of Mr. Mallinson's
chamber. From 100 to 200 men paraded the streets, and
every avenue to the town was guarded.
WWSBURY, JAN. 13.—" In my hurried note, yesterday,
I forgot to say that about three or half-past-three o'clock in
the morning tne firing ceased, and the chartists left the town.-
Almost every one of them was armed with a gun and a bay-
onet, and the party parading the streets was headed by a fel-
low crying out, " Hurrah ! the town is our own. Death or
glory I" The magistrates, who reside about a. mile from the
town, and who had not been informed before daylight (so
great was the terror of the inhabitants that no man durst
venture out), met in the morning and sent over to Leeds
barracks for a detachment of soldiers, and about 30 of the
dragoons arrived here in the afternoon. All has been very
quiet since, but rumours are abroad that to-morrow night a
gener4tl attack will be made upon the town. It is surprising
that no more mischief was done, the whole of our police force
iwing three--•e constable (who is strongly supected of being
a chartist himself), and two deputies. The inhabitants gene:
rally are very thankful that no attack was made upon their
Property, and attribute it solely to Almighty God, in not per-
mitting so great a sin, thattbe town was not sacked and burnt.

f. ab-t ,
- " •4, ;„:; "f"...;- • 4

,

,
os4)