The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-12 00:00:00

:sIISCELLANEOUB

The ieadiug bet at the clubs now.is, that there will be two
royal christenings within.the year.

An advertisement in the morning papers of Tuesday last,
shows us that the office of " Cryer', to the Middlesex Ses-
sions of the Peace, is appropriately sought for by A. Child
It has been resolved by the House of Commons that every
member presenting a petition to the house, do affix his name
at the beginning thereof.
ST. ALBAN'S.—The reason assigned for the Hon. Mr.
Grimston's resignation of his seat for St. Alban's is, that he
means to exchange the senate for the church.

Mr. Murphy, the meteorologist, is ready to lay a wager of
£2OO that the Thames will be so frozen over before the Ist of
March, that hackney coaches will be able to cross the river
at Blackwall.

MURDER AT HoßFlELn.—Since the boy Rudge has been
conveyed to Gloucester, his coat has been examined, and it
is now discovered that it contains a great many distinct
spots of blood which are not to be mistaken : the sleeves are
particularly marked, and the lining of one of them has been
torn out : the lining of the pocket of his trousers was also
bloody.—Bristol Times.

They have a very cheap way of making ink in Carolina.
They thrash the poor negroes till they cry, and catch their

SIR ASTLEY COOPER.—We find that this eminent surgeon,
instead of improving in his health, has retrogaded. He is
now much worse than at the beginning of last week, and fears
are entertained respecting the event. On inquiring, on Sa-
turday, we learnt that he was not any better. Dr. Holland
and Dr. Chambers are his medical advisers. The Lancet
says his complaint is assuming a dropsical tendency—we be-
lieve, water on the chest.—Sunday paper.
SIR ASTLEY COOPER.—This eminent surgeon is still liv-
ing, though. no hopes of his eventual recovery are enter-
tamed. Drs. Chambers and Bright are in attendance on
him, and not Dr. Holland, as before erroneously stated.—
Times of yesterday.
By letters from Galveston (Texas) of the 18th December,
an account had reached that place from the Mexican frontier,
to the effect that the Mexicans were concentrating %force of
8000 men, in order to attack and pillage Texas, and that 5000
were already assembled on the Rio Grande. All business
consequently was at a stand.

THE NEW JUDGE.—Mr. Wightman is the new judge.
His lordship will go the Western Circuit, having exchanged
in consequence of practising on the Northern Circuit (which
had been left open) with Mr. Baron Rolfe. It is said in
Westminster Hall that the Solicitor-General and Mr Erie feel
dissatisfied at the appointment, but it is one which we be-
lieve to be popular with the great majority of the bar.

SUSPECTED MURDER, NEAR RUTHIN.—It is with a feel-
ing of concern that I transmit to you the following afflicting
account :—About seven o'clock on Saturday night the 30th
ult., a person knocked at the door of an under gamekeeper,
employed by Edward Lloyd, Esq., of Rhagatt, Merioneth-
shire, but residing in a lonely house situate on the mountain
side of the south extremity of the Vale of Clwyd, near Ruthin
—this person refused to go into the keeper's house, but kept
at a distance from the door, and pretended to be in a great
hurry to.be off, at the same time telling the keeper there were
poachers in a certain cover not a very great distance off, be-
longing to Mr. Lloyd, destroying his master's game, and ad-
vising him to proceed there immediately in pursuit of them,
which the keeper unsuspectingly did, but, alas ! he never re-
turned to his own home alive. Early on Monday morning,
the Ist instant, a number of the county constabulary force
and others, were on the alert, making diligent search in every
direction after the missing man, but not the least intelligence
could any of them gain respecting him, until late on Friday
evening last, when a large pool of water in the neighbourhood
was dragged not without great difficulty, on account of the
density and thickness of the frost on its surface, where the
body was found and immediately conveyed to Mr. Owens's,
of Tavern Dowyrch, preparatory to a judicial inquiry being
held. It is understood that the coroner of the county is
making every preparation to commence holding an inquest
on the body of the deceased, which takes place on Monday
morning next, the Bth instant,' at the above place. An in-
dividual of a very suspicious character, living near to the
deceased, was taken up and committed to Ruthin gaol for
another serious offence, mysteriously discovered to have
been perpetrated by him, just at the time of the present in-
vestigation being pursued. I refrain from saying any more
on this subject at present, nor until after the coroner's jury
shall have delivered their, verdict, when a n'iore authentic
account shall be transmitted.—Correspondent of the Cheater
Courant.

APPREHENSION OF TWO HIGHWAYMEN AT CHESTER-
FIELD.—On Wednesday morning, being the day of Chester-
field fair, head constable Cotterill, having received informa-
tion, was on the alert, and succeeded in capturing two of the
principals in a serious highway robbery. It appears that
two farmers, Mr. W. Mann, of Wymondhana, and Mr. W.
Harrison, of Garthorpe, were returning from Melton Mow-
bray fair, on the night of Tuesday week, and, when about a
mile out of Melton, they were attacked by five footpads, and
robbed—one of £llO, or thereabouts, and a gold watch, and
the other of about £6O. A person, who had seen five men
enter a public-house immediately after the robbery was com-
mitted, came forward ; and from circumstances that trans-
pired, pursuit was made after two of the rascals to Chester-
field, when they were identified and apprehended, one of
them having a considerable sum of money on him and a silver
watch. It is supposed that he procured the latter in exchange
for the gold watch.—Chesterfield Gazette.

DARING BURGLARY AT NESTON, NEAR CHESTER.—
On Saturday morning last, a daring burglary was committed
at Newton, near thts city, in the house of the Misses Cox,
two maiden ladies, who reside upon their property. The
only inmates of the house at the time of the burglary besides
the Misses Cox, were two female servants, and the particu-
lars so far as we have been able to collect them are as follow.
It appeared that the ladies and the domestics retired to rest
on the evening of Friday, after having as usual made every
thing secure. About two o'clock in the morning an entrance
was effected into the house by three men, one of whom is
described as being very powerful and athletic, and about six
feet high, by forcing a large iron stauncheon out of the back
kitchen window. The doors of the different compartments
of the house were then opened, but as no money was likely to
be found below, two of the men proceeded to the bed-room
of the Misses Cox, while the third was stationed at the gate,
to give an alarm jn case of discovery. The ladies were
awoke directly on the villains presenting themselves in their
room, and one of them was so much alarmed as to fall
into a fainting fit as soon as they entered it. One of the
men carried a dark lantern, and the other had a pistol,
and presenting it at Miss Cox, he demanded her money.
Miss Cox then jumped out of bed, and struck at the fellow
who held the pistol towards her. A struggle ensued, and the
lady actually succeeded in thrusting the fellow out of the
room, and his back falling against the balluster of the stairs,
a portion of it was broken off. Miss Cox. however, ulti-
mately became exhausted, and was forced back into the
room ; and the servants, who had heard the noise occasioned
by the scuffle, now entered. One of them immediately cried
out, " For God's sake don't murder the ladies." We should,
however, here state, that the Miss Cox who had so cou-
rageously struggled with the burglar, was so severely beaten
with the pistol on her arms, as to be incapable of further re-
sistance. It would appear that she now consented to hold a
parley with the men, to save her life, if possible, by the sacrifice
of her property. One of the female servants had now left
the house, and succeeded in reaching safely a cottage occu-
pied by Mr. Frith, with no other garment on than her chemise ;
but the other, who had also gone down stairs to look out for
assistance, was-seized by the fellow who was stationed to watch,
and brought back into the room to her mistress, after having
been told what would be the consequence if she made any
noise or gave an alarm. Miss Cox was now on the point of
giving a purse, containing a considerable amount in gold, to
the men, as the condition on which their lives were to be
spared ; but just at this crisis, the attention of the burglars
in the room was drawn to voices outside of the house, which
fortunately proved to be the servant girl returning with Mr.
Frith—the latter person having immediately consented to ac-
company her home, on being informed of the perilous situa-
tion in which the Misses Cox were placed. The men hear-
ing this, hastily rushed down stairs, and were met by Mr.
Frith at the gate, who demanded who they were, and what
they wanted. No reply was made, but one of them presented
a pistol at Mr. Frith, and snapped it. Providentially, how-
ever, it missed fire, and the men then went forward in the
direction of Flookersbrook. In the course of a few minutes
afterwards, the report of two pistols was distinctly heard,
from which fact the presumption strongly arises, that the
pistol snapped at Mr. Frith was loaded.

SYDNEY.—MURDER BY THE BLACKS.-1H June Mr. Sta-
pleton and seven men were detached from Mr. Dixton's
party, for the purpose of surveying' the land from Limestone
to Richmond, southward to Moreton Bay ; one day, as Mr.
Stapleton, with the cook and one of the party, who was sick,
were in the tent, Mr. Stapleton being in the act of pricking
off his work, they were suddenly attacked by a large party
of blacks, who appeared to be aware that they had not much
ammunition. Mr. Stapleton and the cook were murdered
and partially roasted, and the sick man severely wounded and
left for dead. Next day the blacks returned, and finding he
was not dead, gave him something to eat, and told him one
of the white men would not burn. When the blacks left he
crawled away, and was met next day by a party headed by
Lieutenant Gorman, seven miles from the spot where the at-
tack took place, the mangled remains of Mr. Stapleton and
the other unfortunate victim found and buried, and five of
the blacks concerned in the murder have been captured. The
survivor in this horrible tragedy is insane, owing to the fright
and ill-usage be received, and is likely to remain an idiot all
the days of his life. There does not appear to have been the
slightest provocaticn for this cruel and cold-blooded deed.
How long shall the people of New South Wales have to en-
dure such atrocious and bloody outrages by these fiend-like
wretches—besides paying for protectors for them, and having
no protection ourselves from their inhuman barbarity.—
Australian, Aug. 25.

An inquest of a somewhat extraordinary nature was held at
Barton on Friday last, by Mr. Marris, coroner. In a garden
occupied by Mr. Hedges, the ground was observed to have
sunk, giving rise to the suspicion that there Was an old and
ill-protected well underneath. Mr. Hedges accordingly re-
moved the soil carefully from the spot, and discovered to his
dismay, not a well, but a coffin rudely constructed of window
shutters, at about eighteen inches below the surface, contain.
ing the mouldering remains of what appeared to have been a
young female. On the inquest the mystery was speedily and
satisfactorily solved by the frank and voluntary confession of
Mr. Cuckson, who about ten years ago occupied the premises,
and who was guard of the Express coach trom Hull to Lon-
don. At the time above referred to great excitement pre-
vailed on account of the frequency of body snatching. Cuck-
son well knew the prevalence of the crime, and declared that
he seldom went up without dead as well as living passengers ;
and further, knowing that two notorious resurrectionists were
actually in the town at the time of his daughter's death, he
hit upon the expedient of burying her in his own garden, and
having a mock procession to church ! He afterwards was
satisfied that the grave in the churchyard had been attempted,
fully justifying his somewhat unusual procedure. The coroner
ordered the sham grave in the churchyard to be opened, and
no appearance of a skeleton was to be found, fully corrobo-
rating Cuckson's statement. The mouldering remains were
deposited in " consecrated ground" after all.—Stamford
Mercury.

STRANGE IF TRUE. -A CHILD BUT NO FATHER.—We
had long since considered the infamous doctrines of Johanna
Southcote to have become extinct, except in the demented
opinions of a few brainless followers ; perhaps the following
incident, connected rather with the operation of the new poor
law than with any religious fanaticism, may throw some light
on the subject :—Very recently the village doctor of Honley
was called on to attend a young woman, who, with her mo-
ther, resided not fifty miles from the workhouse. Esculapius
adopted the opinion from the very natural appearance of his
patient that she was enciente. This both mother and daugh-
ter stoutly opposed, considering the illness to proceed from a
very different cause ; in fine, Dr. Galen yielded his opinion
to their's, and leeches and blisters were applied to the protu-
berance, but no diminuition of the prominence ensued. But
lo ! in a few days the young Johanna produced a living proof
of the correctness of the doctor's judgment, to the astonish-
ment of both mother and daughter ; the latter positively in-
sisting that the little unwelcome visitor had no father ! !
Oh, the blessings of the new poor law, which drags poor
ratesfrom, instead of applying them to, the poor, in order
that the placemen and understrappers may revel in luxury,
.84c. The poor-houses under the new system are, it would
seem, little better than brothels ; and we learn that in the
above case it would not be quite impossible to state who the
putative father is, provided a certain functionary under the
new poor law would guarantee that no action for libel should
ensue, it being pretty well known that lawyers hold, " that
the greater the truth the greater the libel."—Leeds Intelli-
gencer. •