The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

DISTRICT PROVIDENT SOCIETY.—The distress caused
by the high price of potatoes, and the destitution conse-
quent upon the sickness that prevailed during the autumn,
trace compelled the committee of this society to appeal to
the public for immediate assistance. Several, as it will be
perceived by the advertisement elsewhere, have proper!),
and liberally responded to the appeal ; but more, very
much more, ought to be done to place the society in a
position to render efficient relief at this inclement and
almost unparalleled season. and we trust the public will
not be unmindful of its claims.
BIRKENHEAD Docxs.—One of the ga•es to the new
Bridge-end Dock was, the other day, put up at the south
end of the dock. The new bridge to connect Birkenhead
and Seacombe has also been commenced, and will be
completed very shortly. The gates for the bridge are the
largest in the world, being upwards of seventy feet wide.
There are already erected fourteen or fi,teen sluices in the
Bridge-end Dock wall, adjoining the great float to the
river side, which will give a scouring power, when in
operation by the agency of steam, equal to 9,000 men.
Toe completion of this bridge is required by the commis-
sioners of woods and forests, previous to the docks being
opened, which will necessarily delay its opening until
Mach or April next. The building of' the badge is, we
understand, part of the payment given to government fur
the grant of land for graving docks.—Journal.
DISTRESSING SHIPWRECK.—The barqoe Hope of Li-
verpool, 559 tons. Jones, master, from Camarine's Biv
for Liverpool, laden with guano, struck on a bank off
Morris-castle, between Wextord and Wicklow, when the
crew, 26 in number, left the barque arid landed. They
remained ashore two nights, but boarded her again on the
9th of December. Finding, however, that she was not

seaworthy, they took to their boats; 16 seamen in the
long-boat, and the remainder, including the captain and
officers, in the gig. The latter party were soon after seen
alongside of a schooner ; but the crew in the long-boat,
not being so fortunate, continued drifting before a very
strong northerly wind, with heavy snow squalls, without
either provisions or water, until Sunday last, when the
boat came ashore about four miles east of Newquay, on
the north coast of Cornwall. It was then found that ten
of her crew had died of cold and hunger. The six sur-
vivors were taken to the coast guard station.
ottEiGNERs' MrsstoN.—Through the instrumentality
of the Rev. Joseph Baylee, of Birkenhead, a " Liverpool
Foreigners' Mission" has been established, the obj-ct of
which is to provide religious instruction for all foreigners
visiting this port. The Seamen's Church, where divi e
service will be conducted in the German and English
language, has been rented for the mission, and will be
opened on the 27th ult. The Rev. D. J. Hirsch is the
minister. A second German missionary has been ap.
pointed to visit the ships and the dwellings of the poor,
and a reformed Italian priest has been engaged for the
poor Italians residing here. An Italian and German
school will be opened in a few weeks. Towards this ob-
ject the Christian Knowledge Society has given £35 worth
of Prayer Books and Testaments, in German. Italian, and
foreign languages ; the British and Foreign Bible Society
has given £lO worth of Bibles and Testaments ; and the
Religious Tract Society £lO worth of tracts.
SMUGGLING EXTRAORDINARY.—On Thursday night,
Syreen, a custom house officer, apprehended a woman
named Eliza Smith, a passenger on board an American
vessel, on suspicion of having smuggled tobacco in her
possession. Upon examining her dress. 17 lbs. of tobacco
were found concealed under it; but the most remarkable
of the expedients which had been resorted to for the pur-
pose of deceiving the lynx-eyed deputies of the customs,
was that of giving to the contraband weed the semblance
of a loaf. A quantity of cut tobacco had been pressed
into a tin, over which a thin layer of dough was spread,
which, being baked, had the appearance to the eye of a
veritable loaf. The quantity of tobacco which the woman
had contrived to secrete in this and other modes, amounted
to no less titan 70 lbs. She was brought before Mr.
Rushton on Friday, and remanded to Tuesday, in order
to allow of a communication with the Commissioners of
Excise.

DESTITUTION IN THE HIGHLANDS.—We notice that

a corrEspondent has a letter in the Liverpool Standard,
in which he rernaess—" It would be highly important to
call a public meeting, to lay the case of the poor High-
landers before the public." We could wish this were
done in such towns as Liverpool, where numerous Scots-
men congregate, and where Providence has given to many
of this class the privilege of wealth. We ektreat, by all
holy sanctions, the generous attention of our countrymen
in England, to the distress of their afflicted brethren on
the sea-girt islands of the country they love as patriots,
and by whose venerable name they rejoice to distinguish
themselves. In the present inclement season there is a
voice pleading for human misery, which the Christian
cannot disregard—which mere humanity cannot be deaf
to. The situation of the poor Highlanders may be ima-
gined under such circumstances;—it belongs to those who
have the means, to ameliorate their sufferings.—Edin-
bnrgh Post.

WEST DERBY GUARDIANS.—Letters from the Poor-
law Commissioners were read ; the first transmitting the
requisite papers for the completion of the appointment of
Dr. Christie to the rural division of West Derby ; and the
second on the case of a poor woman who was removed
from Toxteth-park to the Fever-house, and who, as stated
in a former report, died almost immediately after her re-
moval. It appears that the removal of the poor woman,
owing to the want of a suitable conveyance or some such
difficulty, was deferred eighteen or twenty hours after the
medical officer had issu, d his order. The Commissioners
object to the plea of difficulty, and add, that the delay
having been suffered to occur, the precaution ought to
have been taken of consulting a medical man as to whether
she were then in a condition to be removed. They con-
clude with reques'ing the ~bservations of the guardians on
these points. The report book of the master of the
Workhouse showed a considerable increase of the inmates
of the house since the middle of October. The increase
during the two months since elapsed had been about 110,
averaging eleven per week. The number in the house on
Saturday was 424. The day for the weekly meeting of
the guardians was changed from Tuesday to Wednesday,
subject to the sanction of the Commissioners.

ROBBERY AT PRESTON.—A SIMPLETON.—A robbery
took place on Wednesday evening last, at Preston, under
the following circumstances, from which it will be seen
that the victim must be one of the veriest simpletons.
About seven o'clock, a person from Leyland was proceed-
ing to the railway station, on his return home, when he
was accosted in Fishergate by a female, who claimed his
protection from " that man behind," who had for some
time foll,wed and " insulted " her. After walking a short
distance with her intended dupe, they got into a friendly
conversation, the insulting party following quietly behind
them. The latter now saw a quarrel commencing be-
tween the other two, when he went up to them, observing
" Oh, you are sweethearting a little," to which the un-
fortunate protector replied, " No, but this woman has
robbed me of seven sovereigns ; " immediately on which
the woman made off, followed by the man who she said
had been insulting her. It turned out that the parties
were well-known bad characters in the town. The silly,
and too confiding victim, immediately gave information
to the police, and from the description given of the
parties, the authorities had no difficulty in apprehending
them. The house was searched, when £l9 was found
secreted, and several articles of wearing apparel, quite
unsuited for the use of the prisoners. They were brought
before the magistrates on Thursday, and committed for
trial.

THE SHORT TIME QUESTION.—For some time past
much jealousy has existed amongst the mill-owners about
Ashton-under-Line, as to who should be the first to com-
mence the adoption of the short-time principle, as being
advocated by Charles Hindley, Esq., M. P., and other
gentlemen, in consequence of the high price of cotton and
the depression of the cotton trade. At length, however,
the matter has been taken up by the master spinners of
the Mossley district, who held a meeting at the Bull's
Head Inn, Mossley, on Thursday. The chair was
taken by George Bramall, Esq., of Grove House, and
the following resolution was unanimously adopted :
" That the mills in the Mossley district commence on
Thursday, December 17, to work at the rate of eight
hours per day, or forty-six hours per week, and that they
be entirely closed from Dec. 24 to January 4, 1847, and
that they then commence again at the rate of forty-six
hours per week." In consequence of the above resolu-
tion, all the mills in Mossley and the neighbourhood com-
menced on Thursday to work on short time—viz., eight
hours per day. It may be remembered that the Mossley
district is one of considerable importance, as it now
numbers at least sixteen firms, all of which, excepting a
portion of one, are engaged in spinning only. What is
more important is the fact that most of the large firms in
Ashton and Staleybridge are intending to stop eight or
nine days at Christmas, with an intention to work short
time afterwards.

Sr. BARNABAS' SCHOOLS.—On Thursday evening
last, the half-yearly examination of the infants attending
these schools, took place in the presence of the Rev. T.
Nolan, many members of St. Barnabas' congregation,
and a large number of the parents of the children. The
room, which was very tastefully decorated with ever-
greens, and several beautiful flags, bearing appropriate
scriptural mottoes, was densely crowded. Miss Colgan,
the clever and active mistress, conducted the examina-
tion, and certainly proved to all present, by eliciting ready
and correct answers from her young pupils, that she had
spared neither time nor pains in instructing their youth-
ful minds in the various branches of their education.

Some pleasing andi9structivepieces also were recited in
excellent style, which called forth the approval of those
assembled. At the conclusion of the examination, the
Rev. T. Nolan addressed the meeting, and remarked how
much he had been gratified with what he had witnessed
that evening, there being a manifest improvement over
the previous half. yeariy examination. Ile highly and de-
servedly complimented Miss Colgan and her two assis-
tants, for their exertions, and thanked them on behalf of
himself and his co-trustees. He also took the oppor-
tunity of soliciting the co-operation of the parents in the
good work by urging upon them the necessity of regularity
in attendance and cleanliness, and he was glad to compli-
ment them upon the latter point that evening, the children
having a remarkably clean appearance. The children
then concluded by singing " God Save the Queen ;" after
which, they had each a bun given to them. The meeting
then separated, highly gratified with the evening's pro-
ceedings. The number of infants in daily attendance is
about 240. The examination of the boys and girls was
conducted by Mr. Nolan, durine the four previous suc-
cessive days, and was very satisfactory.
THE BROTHERS TIVENDRCS GRAND CONCERTS,—
We shall be pardoned for re-directing the attention of the
admirers of classical music to the announcement of the
first concert of our young townsmen in this country, and
soliciting for them the liberal patronage of the public.
We have seen the programme, which is marked by exqui-
site taste ; and we are convinced that the performances
will be of a very superior character. Indeed, we are satis-
fied that the talents and acquirements of these young men
would justify a vastly higher pretension than they have
vet put forward; and we hope the utmost will be done to
induce them to settle in Liverpool. The concert, we have
much satisfaction in believing , will be attended by the
elsti of Liverpool and the vicinity.