The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-31 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS

Cowslips and wild strawberries, in fine perfection, were
gathered last week at Bullermoor, and at Crawford Farm,
near Northallerton.

The death of Lord Douglas Halyburton, late M.P. for For-
farshire, took place on the evening of Christmas Day, at nine
p.m., at his lordship's town residence, Warren's Hotel, Re-
gent-street.
REMARKABLE CLOSING OF A COAL-MINE.—On Tuesday,
whilst the workmen of the coal-pit of Mr. John Buckley, at
Marl Field, Crompton, were absent from the mine, the shaft
suddenly closed up, so that the coal-pit was entirely destroyed.
About £4OO is said to have been expended in forming this
now extinct colliery.
The number of paper mills throughout the kingdom
amounts to about 300; of these only 120 are iri operation.
At Maidstone, where paper is the staple manufacture, only
23 vats out of 51 are used, and out of seven machines only
one is at work.

It is a remarkable circumstance that since the great earth.
quake in 1827, no wheat will grow on the coast of Peru. In
some places, indeed, a little is raised ; but it is very unpro.
ductive. Rice, on the contrary, yields a great return. Be.
fore the earthquake one grain of wheat yielded 200 grains.

TESTIMONIAL TO THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM ANE
CHANDOS.—It is arranged that the dinner to the above no-
bleman, at which his grace is to be presented with a testimo-
nial from the agriculturists of England, shall take place or
the 11th of February next.

The steam-ship Savannah, from New York for New Or-
leans, sprang a leak in a gale off Cape Hatteras, and shortly
afterwards sank. Part of the crew and passengers saved
themselves in a boat, which fortunately fell in with a brig.
Several people were left on the wreck ; they had a boat, but
whether they betook themselves to it was doubtful. The
Savannah was commanded by Captain Crane, who is well
known in London. He, his lady, and son, were among the
persons saved.
-

ACCIDENT AT NIAGARA FALLS.—The Buffalo papers
relate, that a boat with three men went over the Falls of
Niagara, on the night of Monday, the 22d of November.
They bad started from Schlosser at nine o'clock, intending
to cross over to Hudson's Tavern, two miles above Chip-
pewa. Shortly after they left the shore, cries from the river
were heard at Field's tavern near by, but excited no atten-
tion, as similar noises are very common in that quarter from
boatmen passing to and fro. No suspicion of the accident
arose until Thursday, when evidence of the fate of the boat
and her crew was presented in the fragments found in the
eddy below the Falls. It is supposed that the boat was
struck by a squall, and being heavily loaded, sank ; the men
on board being swept away by the relentless current down
the American rapids and over the frightful precipice below !
The names of the two were J. D. Kinney and J. York, and
the other was a stranger, who had merely taken passage for
Canada.

FALMOUTH, Dxc. 26.—We have an arrival to-day of the
Star packet, Lieutenant Smith, from Mexico, with dates from
Tampico of the 7th ult., Vera Cruz of the 16th, and Havan-
nah the 26th, and bringing 150,000 dollars only. In poli-
tics we have little news from this quarter, and as regards
commercial matters the reduction of the consumo duty to the
old scale had given a new impulse to the trade of the repub-
lic, and considerable quantities of manufactured goods of all
descriptions had lately been sent into the interior, which in
some measure tended to relieve the heavy stocks on the
coast. Nevertheless, the market at Vera Cruz still remained
in a state of great depression, and sales had not improved.
Prices in general were consequently very low. A new law
had been published in Mexico, according to which all ordi-
nary cotton goods imported into that country which came
under the act of prohibition, were henceforth to be burnt,
by the custom-house ; the importers to be made liable, not
only for the duties, but also to a fine equal to the value of the
goods at the place of importation. It was not expressed in
this l!tv, whether it was to take effect immediately, or whe-
ther Its application only was to begin after the expiration of
six months usually granted for the alteration of any tariff.
On the other hand, some reforms in the tariff, beneficial to
trade, were spoken of, but it was doubtful their being
into effect. The Montrose steamer, with the Penin-
sular has not vet arrived though now due a week. It
icfsar eruiipgeri mails,pdoseslie has met with an accident to her machinery,
which obliged her to return to port. Such occurrences are
not unfrequent during the miter season.

Acadia, (steamer) Ryrie. from Boston, at this port ; sailed 16th
and from Halifax 19th instant.
Hope, from New Orleans, off this port
Alfred, Cheever, hence at New York
American, Holden, hence at ditto
Mary Caroline, Brewer, hence at St. John, N.B.
Lady Milton, Sinnot, hence at ditto
Falkland, M'Call, and Halifax, Tulloch, hence at Halifax
Belvidere, for Bombay, has pot hack leaky, and must discharge,
having been aground on Burbo Bank
Columbia. (steamer) hence at Halifax 18th Dec.
Lady of the Lake, hence to Demerara, was spoken 15th Nov. in
lat. 26, long. 74

Columbine, -, hence to New South Wales, was spoken 13th
October, in lat. 22, long. 25 W

Pallas, Morris ; Ontario, Jameson, and Lord Maidstone, Taylor,
hence at New Orleans
Harriet & Jessie, hence at Charleston
North Star, hence at Philadelphia
Water Witch, Kitchen, hence at St. Michael's
Ellen Clare, Roberts. hence at Genoa

NIAGARA FALLS.—President Dwight, of New Haven,
estimates the quantity of water precipitated over the falls, at
11,202,375 tons per hour ; and Darby calculates the mass to
make 1,672,704,000 cubic feet per hour: while another au-
thor, Picken, makes the quantity to be 113,510,000 gallons,
or 18,524,000 cubic feet per minute.
THE RECENT MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT
WESTERN RAILWAY.—The coroner's jury in this case
awarded the " deodand of £lOOO on the engine, tender, and
carriages, on the grounds that more watchmen should have
been employed to watch the cutting, and the danger of placing
the passengers next the engine, with a recommendation that
a portion of the spoil-bank be removed from the sides of the
road."

Tut EXCHEQUER BILL FRAUD.—Amongst the victims of
this heartless robbery is a major in the army, who had nearly
£40,000 worth of the forged Exchequer-bills. Thus has a
brave and veteran officer been suddenly reduced from afflu-
ence to poverty. No doubt an appeal will one of these days
appear in our journals in behalf of the destitute family of this
gallant but now pauperised man. This is not an isolated
case ; others, equally heart-rending, are connected with that
diabolical fraud.

ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON.—On Taesday night, about
eight o'clock, a band of fire, apparently about a yard in
length, its sides having somewhat the appearance of a big-
bellied bottle, its mouth resembling a large trumpet, and its
top tapering towards a point was observed slowly, and in a
perpendicular direction, to descend almost immediately above
the Clyde, betwixt Hutchinson's-bridge and Peat-bog.
Having approached, as it seemed in the distance, to within a
.few yards of the stream, it instantaneously burst asunder
like a huge firework, and almost instantaneously vanished.
Persons at a distance, ignorant of the cause, imagined that it
was a vivid flash of lightning, its reflection, on bursting,
having spread a luried glare over the prevailing wintry gloom.
—Glasgow paper.
MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE.—A woman, named Mary
Stewart or Pebbles, residing in the Wallace Fens, was found
lying lifeless in bed, betwixt her two children, on the morning
of Thursday week. It is thought that she died from utter
starvation, her husband, James Pebbles, a labourer, having
deserted her without making the smallest provision for her
or her family. She had become sickly, and had received a
small sum for her support from the Kirk-Session ; but the
man returned, and the poor woman's pittance was withdrawn.
In this helpless condition, with increasing sickness, the cold-
hearted villain again abandoned her; and, after disposing of
the whole of her household effects, she had to have recourse
to the cold hand of charity, which, in her distressed condi-
tion, she found it impossible to do.—Dundee Advertiser.
NEw WAY TO PAY OLD_Dzwrs.."7-To judge by the

accounts received from the model republic, the Mississippi
bonds would seem to offer a strong inducement to capitalists
to invest in them. It appears that the state of Mississippi
" resists the payment of the 5,000,000 of dollars in state
bonds, delivered to the Mississippi Union Bank, and nego-
tiated by that institution." The governor of the state, who
rejoices in the name of M'lsTutt, and who, it is said by the
Richmond Inquirer, in which his letter is published, " truly
understands the feelings and opinions of the people oofMis-
sissippi."—is of opinion that the bonds will not be paid, and
thus expresses that opinion. " I firmly believe that FOOR.
FIFTHS of the people of this state PREFER GOING TO WAR
TO PAYING THE BONDS." There can be little doubt of

this,—for where is there to be found so ready a soldier as he
who has nothing to lose and all to gain ? The people of Mis-
sissippi seem to belong to that category of persons of whom
the renowned Caleb Baldwin of pugilistic memory was the
head, as we find it recorded in heroic verse—

" And for settling of balances, all I know is
'Tis the way Caleb Baldwin prefers settling his."
This is unquestionably a very satisfactory mode of settling
the question,—but we may be permitted to ask with whom
are the belligerent Mississippians going to war? Is it Kil-
kenny-cat fashion. amongst themselves. or do they propose
to disturb the harmony of the United states?—.'Morning
Herald.
DARING BURGLARY.--The house of Robert Hughes, a

small farmer living at a place called Glascoed fach, on the
borders of this county, about four miles from Oswestry, but
in the parish of Llansilin, Denbighshire, was entered by a
band of ruffians about two o'clock in the morning of Friday
last. The burglars must evidently have been acquainted with
particulars as to the circumstances of Hughes and his family,
for the first thing they enquired after was " the money for
the cow," he having sold one at the last fair held in this
town. Being a careful man he had deposited the proceeds in
a bank, and of which they were disappointed. It appears
there were four of them in the gang, two of which entered
the house, the others remaining outside. Witb these two
the poor fellow and his wife had a severe encounter, and
whom it would appear they successfully resisted. The ruf-
fians were disguised, and armed with strong crowbars, one
of great length, and similar to those used in the limestone
quarries of the adjoining neighbourhood. Hughes was most
dreadfully abused about the head, and, from the nature of
the wounds, being inflicted by such murderous weapons, must
have had a miraculous escape. His aged wife did her utmost to
assist him, and in return received some very serious con-
tusions from blows, kicks, &c. Finding themselves nearly
worsted they made a signal for another of the party to come
to their assistance, and the poor helpless man and his wife
were overcome. The villains had their faces blacked, and
were otherwise disguised, one of them having his shirt over
what other garments he may have worn at the time. Disap-
pointed, no doubt, at not finding the money poor Hughes
had received for his cow, they dealt out their murderous
vengeance with a heavy hand, and he survives only by a
miracle. His courageous partner fared no better than him-
self, both, when first seen in the morning, presenting fright.
ful spectacles. The robbers took away with them wearing
apparel, eight pennyworth of copper, a few pounds of butter,
some bacon and salted pork, and other trifling articles. A
pretty accurate description of the burglars is given ; and,
although on Tuesday morning no tidings had been received
of their being taken, strong hopes are entertained of a clue
to their detection. In addition to Hughes and his wife,
there was a young girl in the house, who fortunately escaped
the notice of the robbers. Having had their wounds dressed
and promptly attended to by Mr. E. D. Bennion, surgeon,
Hughes and his wife are likely to get the better of the dread-
ful outrage ; yet, from the last accounts we have received,
the woman is in a very languishing condition. Areward has
been offered for the discovery and apprehension of the
parties, and the most praiseworthy exertions were being
made by the surrounding neighbourhood to bring them to
justice. The crow-bars are supposed to have been stolen
from the Treflach lime-stone quarries.—Salopian Journal.