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 in 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 AND
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 on
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 had 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, DEC. 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 law 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
foreign trade, were spoken of, but it was doubtful their being
r carried into effect. The Montrose steamer, with the Penin-
sular mails, has not vet arrived though now due a week. It
is supposed she has met with an accident to her machinery,
which obliged her to return to port. Such occurrences are
not 'infrequent during the winter season.