The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-03-14 00:00:00

Rungs VESTRIES.—A bill in the Commons has been
printed to enable the vestries of parishes in England and
Wales to exercise certain powers for effecting local works
and improvements in their respective parishes, and pro-
moting the common welfare of the inhabitants. On a re-
quisition the churchwardens are to summon a vestry.
A committee is to be appointed, and sanitary powers to be
given to such committee. Parishes may be divided into
districts.
RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.—A paper has been presented to
both houses of Parliament, showing that in the half-year
ended 31st December last, 157 persons were killed by
railway accidents, and 253 were injured. The increase of
railway in the period was 174 miles, making the length
now open in the United Kingdom 7,686 miles.
FELONY.—'At the quarter sessions held at Ipswich, on
Friday, Mr. Wright Hunt, aged 53, a corn merchant of
considerable business in that town and the neighbouring
markets, was found guilty of stealing a silk purse, con-
taining £2 19s. ld., the property liss Maria Powles,
of liundesley, Norfolk, while travelling in a train from
London. He was sentenced to six months' hard labour.
TEE JEWS.—It is stated that the whole number of
Jews in England is only 30,000-20,000 of whom are
located in London. Russia contains ten and a quarter
millions. Constantinople 80,000, and India 17,000. It is
also stated that, out of the 20,000 in London, 2,000 are
baptised Christians.
LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S BRIBERY BILL.—Lord John
Russell's Bribery Bill has been printed. His definition of
bribery includes a voter's asking for or receiving any re-
ward or employment for himself, or for any other person,
on account of his vote being given or withheld. Besides
a pecuniary penalty for bribery, and its being a misde-
meanour, any person lawfully convicted of it is to be for
ever incapstble of being a member of parliament, or of
voting at any election of a member. The definition of
treating includes payment at any time for provisions for
any person for the purpose of corruptly influencing his
vote at the election, or on account of his voting or refrain-
ing from voting at the election ; there is a pecuniary
penalty for this, or for using undue influence by intimi-
dation, or the infliction or threat of any damage or loss, or
for making any illegal payment, and it involves also disa-
bility to sit in the then parliament. No candidate, by:him-
self or his agent, is to give or allow cockades, or other
marks of distinction, after the teste of the writ of summons ;
the penalty for each offence to be £2. Paid agents, attor-
neys, flagmen, &c,, are not to vote. Every candidate,
before consenting to pay anything beyond his mere per-
sonal expenses, is to appoint in writing an agent for the
payment of the election expenses, notice of the appoint-
ment,. or any of change in it, to be Inserted within seven
days m some newspaper in circulation at the place ; and
any payment of expenses, except through this agent, is to
be an illegal payment, and subject to a penalty of £lO to
any one who shall sue for the same.
THE REVOLVERS. —We learn that Colonel Colt's re-
volvers have been supplied to a large proportion of the
Guards and general officers marching for the seat of war.
We should be glad to hear that the Board of Ordnance
bad decided that this useful weapon was to be adopted in
the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Marines, as well as
by the private soldiers in the Armz. Let a soldier be in
combat with three or four antagonists, and rely upon his
bayonet as a means of defence, in the long run, ten to
one he would be overpowered ; but, if he is armed with a
revolver, he could, when hard pressed, throw the musket
into the left hand, and for a few moments parry thrusts
with it while he drew his revolver, and with -his right
hand picked off his men, the left all the while parrying
with the firelock the thrusts of his enemies. In ease of
riot, a sword comes off second best in competition with
brickbats and revolvers. The Russians, it is said, are
armed with revolvers : if so, this question should no
longer be delayed.—Army Despatch.

FlRE.—About 10 o'clock on Thursday night a fire broke
out at the papier mache works ofMessrs. Bielefield,Welling-
ton-street North, Strand. The establishment is 90 feet deep
by 36 feet wide, and 80 feet high, under one roof. The pre-
mises were built by the firm in 1839, at a cost of upwards
of £5,000. There are five floors above the basement story.
It was on the fourth floor that the fire broke out. The
alarm very soon reached the interior of the Lyceum Theatre,
and the audience, in a state of uncertainty as to the pre-
cise locality of the fire, manifested considerable anxiety,
until it was announced to them that all who desired to
leave might find egress through the private box entrance
in Burleigh-street. The Queen and Prince Albert, with
Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg, had retired previously to
the alarm reaching the interior of the house. There was
a most lamentable want of water, and more than half-an-
hour elapsed after the arrival of the engines before any
attempt could be made to stay the progress of the flames.
The fire soon descended to the third story, and thence
to the second, which with those above it, was destroyed,
with the whole of the valuable contents ; but the fire did
not penetrate further, and before one o'clock all danger
was at an end.
THE BURNHAM MIIEDEIL—The trial of Moses Hatto,
..for the murder of Mary Ann Sturgeon, at Burnham, on
the Ist of November last, came on before Lord Campbell,
at the Aylesbury assizes, on Wednesday morning, and
'-terminated on Thursday evening. The deceased, it will •
be recollected, was murdered and set fire to, while the
liiisoner, the only person on the premises, pretended to
be asleep. The case for the crown being closed, Mr. Parry
addressed the jury for the prisoner in a speech of nearly
three hours. The learned judge having summed up, the
jury, at half-past two o'clock, retired to consider theix ver-
dict. At twenty minutes to six o'clock they returned into
court, and delivered a verdict of guilty. His Lordship,
after stating that he fully concurred in the verdict, and
that the midnight murder of which the prisoner had been
found guilty was one of the most barbarous in the criminal
annals of this country, proceeded to pass sentence of death
in the usual terms. At times his Lordship appeared
almost choked with emotion, but the prisoner heard both
-the verdict and the sentence with stolid indifference. He
has since confessed his guilt.

CONTROVERTED ELECTIONS BlLL.—This bill, brought
in by Lord J. Russell, has been printed. It remodels
-and amends the machinery for the trial of election peti-
lions. There is to be an ex. parte inquiry before a preli-
- ruinary committee, whether there is such reasonable
~;ground
for the petitioners' allegations of bribery, treating,
or undue influence, that the petition should be allowed to
go on; and if it be, the petitioner duly prosecuting his
petition shall (unless the election committee to whom it
is referred report that the allegations were made without
Teasonable or probable grounds) receive his costs from
the Treasury. If a petition be not bond fide prosecuted,
the Speaker may appoint an agent to prosecute at the
public expense. Every election committee is to be at-
tended by an assessor, who is to advise the committee,
but not to vote; and, for this purpose, ten barristers, of
ten-years' standing, are to be appointed by the Crown,
before the meeting of every parliament, and one before
every subsequent session, each assessor to hold his ap-
pointment for the session, and be paid £1.,000. The
sitting member, if required by the petition, is to deliver
in an account of his election expenses and liabilities, or
else he is not to be admitted to defend his return. If the
sitting member is unseated for bribery, treating,or undue
influence, a candidate having polled two-thirds of the
number.of valid votes polled by that member shall be
declared duly elected. Commissioners to inquire into
corrupt practices are to issue on the reports of election
committees, unless the House of Commons shall otherwise
determine-; and where a committee report a member or
candidate, or his agent, guilty of :bribery, treating, or
undue influence, a copy of the report -is to be sent to the
••Attorney-General, who shall prosecute, unless he be of
opinion that 'there is good reason to the.contrary; a report
from the committee that the offender (not being a party
to or opposing the petition) made a true disclosure, is to
be deemed sufficient reason. A member or a candidate
who has appeamd before a committee as a party, if re-
ported by them to be guilty of bribery,treating, undue
'
influence, or making an illegal payment, by himself or
his agents, but with his consent, is to he incapable of
.sitting as a member, as if he had been convicted of such
< offence in a court of ; but if the committee report that
the offence was committed without his eousent, or that
"be has contracted an-illegal liability, the incapacity shall
only be to sit for the same place in the then patuament.
TRADE wtTrr RITSSIA..—The following copy of a despatch
from the Foreign office, in answer to an application made
by the British Consul at Riga, who, at the instance of the
merchants of that city, had requested inforMation relative
to " what respect would be paid by British cruisers, in the
event of war, to bond fide British property, the produce of
Russia, if shipped on board neutral vessels," was circulated
at the Baltic Coffee-house this afternoon Foreign-
office, Feb. 16. "The Earl of Clarendon has had under
his consideration your despatch of the 26th ult., enclosing
a copy of a letter from ,cf Riga, requesting to be
informed ' what respect would be paid by British cruisers,
in the event of war, to bond fide British property, the pro-
duce of Russia, if shipped on board neutral vessels ?' I
have to acquaint you in reply, that
_property of the
description in question—the produce of Russia, and
exported therefrom by and on account of a British mer-
chant domiciled and trading there,—although purchased
- before the war, and .exported to England, would not
be respected by her Majesty's cruisers, unless in pur-
suance of a license, or some special instructions from
her Majesty to the officers of her navy. By the law and
practice of nations, a belligerent has a right to consider as
enemies all persons who reside in a hostile country, or who
maintain commercial establishments therein ; whether
these people be by birth neutral, allies, enemies, or fellow-
subjects, the property of such persons exported from such
countries is therefore re* hostiurn, and, as such, lawful
prize of war ; such property will be considered as a prize,
although its owner is a native-born subject of the captor's
country, and although it may be in transition to that
country • and its being laid on board a neutral ship will
not protect the property. You will therefore inform
whom it may concern that, in the event of war, the pro-
perty will not be protected by the consular certificate, or
by any other document, but will be liable to capture and
condemnation as prize."
Woate, N'a RIGHTS' CONVENTION.—The Woman's
Rights' Convention was opened at Albany on the 14th
ult. Though the drizzling rain, ice, water, and mud in
the streets kept the timid within doors, several hundred
men and women were in attendance. Susan B. Anthony,
of Rochester, called the meeting to order, and nominated
for president Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, of Seneca
Falls ; which nomination the convention accepted. The
Rev. Miss Brown, from the Business Committee, read a
series of resolutions, setting forth, among other things,
" That for men to govern women, without consent asked
or granted, is to perpetuate an aristocracy utterly hostile
to the principles and spirit of free institutions ; and that
it is time for the people of the United States, and every
State in the Union, to put away for ever that remnant of
despotism and feudal oligarchy—the caste of sex. That the
fundamental error of the whole structure of legislation
and custom, whereby women are practically enslaved, even
in this Republic, is the preposterous fiction of the law,
that in the eye of the law husband and wife are one per-
son, that person being the husband; and that the final
result is that system of tutelage, miscalled protection, by
which the industry of women is kept on half-pay, their af-
fections trifled with, their energies crippled, and even their
noblest aspirations wasted away in vain efforts, ennui, and
regret." The resolutions proceed at great length in this
strain ; and the editor of the New York Herald com-
plains that the convention have sent him a copy of an ad-
dress to the Legislature "four columns long !" He is
provoked into adding, " While these women are wasting
time at Albany, nurses are wanted in every part of the
country, at wages ranging from $5 to 525 per month, ac-
cording to capability. These women complain that they
are deprived of their rights, have no opportunity of making
Money; and yet refuse to fill situations when offered,',