The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-06-21 00:00:00

THE I_,IoN- I v za, Ronallyn Cordon Cumming, Esq.'
passed through Ayr on Saturday, for Wigtownshire, on a
sporting excursion. . , _

ENORMOUS SKATE.—The Banff Journal says that e
skate was brought ashore at Buckie last week which
measured nine feet in length and nearly five feet in breadth.
JENNY LIND, according to the Dresden Echo, is to
appear again on the stage—in the heroine's part in Gold-
schmidt's (her husband's) 'I ochterlein, or. Little Daughter!
TYRANNY.—A new Imperial ukase has been published
in Poland, prohibiting Jewish women from wearing false
hair. Several have been punished for contravention.
To MEND IRON POTS.—Mix finely-sifted lime waft
some white of eggs, till a thin kind of paste is formed
then add some iron filings. Apply this to the fracture,
and the vessel will be found to be nearly as sound as ever.
THE SUSPENSION is announced of Mr. Arthur R:
Homershana, in the English wool trade. The amount of
liabilities has not been stated, but it is supposed to be
about £30,000.
ENGRAVING REVOLUTIONISED.—A Swedish artist,
Carleman, has made a discovery, which he calls phut°.
chromography. By this new application of photographY
he is enabled to take from 300 to 400 copies per day.
"a THE ANCIENT PUNISHMENT of the stocks has beet;
revived at Runcorn. Last week a " drunk and disorderly'
was exposed at the Town-hal! in the stocks for four hours.
and was only released when it began to rain heavily. vast
crowds honoured the poor Wight with their countenance.
PETERBOROUGH ELECTION.—Mr. George Hammen", Whalley, who was unseated by the Peterborough election'
committee, upon the ground that he, by his agents, had
been guilty of bribery, has again become a candidate for
the representation of that city.
RAILWAY UNION.—We hear that the London and`
Northwestern and Midland Railway Companies will pro'
bably be worked under a joint management next month,
and the total traffic receipts given weekly in one month."'"
Morning Herald.
OTTAWA COUNTY, Upper Canada, has been desolsica.
by a conflagration, which swept the county from the Deelr
River to within a short distance of Bounechere River.
The fire ravaged the country for 450 square miles, burn-
ing towns, villages, and farms, in its disastrous course..
A HAUNTED HOUSE.—A strange moaning noise re-
cently alarmed the inmates of a house at Lincoln, and as
it lasted for some hours they began to think that the
house was haunted. They then called in the parish clerk,
who speedily discovered that the sounds proceeded from
the chimney, and removed the bag of shavings with which
the chimney had been stuffed, when a pigeon nearly
stifled with snot came down.
THE RUSSIAN FLEET.—A correspondent in Paris says
that a Russian agent has been in treaty for the purchase
of the Humboldt and the Franklin, two American
steamers plying between New York and Havre. Ile
agent has offered the company 4,750,000 f. for them. It is
not stated that that offer has been accepted, but as the
Russian fleet in the Black Sea is in want of steamers, it iS
thought that the purchase will he concluded.
ACCIDENT AT A WEDDING PARTY.—On Tuesday last
a servant in the goods department of the Manchester and
Sheffield Railway Company, at Oxspring Station, who
formed one of a wedding party that was proceeding to
Penistone Church, in attempting to get into one of the
carriages as the train was moving, stumbled, and fell upon
the rails, and the wheels of the carriages passed over his
legs, and cut them completely off.—Leeds Intelligencer.'
FEVER AT CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.—.In extraordinary
meeting of the governors has been held at the hospital, in
consequence of the scarlet fever having made its appearance
amongst the inmates, when it was decided to issue circu-
lars to the friends of the boys, desiring them to take their
children away for the present. One master (the Rev.
Mr. Collingwood) and two boys are dead, and eighty boys
are ill with the disease.
STAMP DUTIES ON MARINE INSURANCE.—A return.,
procured by Lord John Russell, shows, that in 1842 the
amount of revenue derived from stamp duties on marine'
insurances was £193,788 12s. The largest sun:4in the last
twenty-two years was received in 1839, when it was
£296,343 19s. Bd. The greatest amount of tonnage be-
longing to the United Kingdom in the last twenty-two
years was in last year, when it reached 3,698,004.
THE BEGGING PRIESTS.—The individual, who, in de-
fiance of the law, styles himself " Nicholas, by the
Divine Mercy, of the Holy Roman Church, by the Title,
of St. Pudentiana Cardinal Priest, and Archbishop Or
Westminister," has issued a second Pastoral, in which be'
" enjoins that on Sunday, the feast of the Sacred Heart,
after the reading of his Pastoral Letter, a collection be
made at the offertory of every Mass, for the Catholic
Poor-School Committee, in every Church and Chapel of
his diocese."

RAILWAY CooßiNa.—Last week a spark from the
engine of a goods train on the Scottish Midland RailwaY
set fire to a sheet covering a truck laden with tons of
beef, mutton, and pork for the London market. The fire
was not extinguished until the meat was considerably
singed and scorched, and it was deemed expedient to sell
it by public roup at Perth. The buyers not only got the
best meat at less than half-price, but some of it roasted'
for the table.—Scotsman.
Cuntors FACT.—A dog crab was caught among ,the
'
rocks near the Haven at Tynemouth last week, with a
sixpence firmly grown into the external shell of the back.
The men who obtained this curiosity broke the shell in
order to secure the money. The only way by which the
presence of the sixpence can be accounted for is by sup-
posing that during the annual production of the new shell,
the crab had lain with the newly formed pellum on the
coin, which had adhered to the skin by this means, and
eventually became firmly fixed in the place in which it
was found.—Newcastle Chronicle.
NEWSPAPER STAMPS.—The Government have deter-
mined to adhere to their proposal as to the duty of six-
pence on advertisements ; but they have consented to
make a modification in relation to the stamp duty on
newspapers. In place of the proposal to permit a supple-
ment, consisting altogether of advertisements, to be pub-
lished free, the following is the new plan :
For every sheet or piece of paper whereon any news- ze s. d•
paper shall he printed, containing on one side a
superficies not exceeding 1,530 inches, (the present
limit,) a duty of 0 0 1
For one supplement to such newspaper, and printed
as such, containing on one side a superficies not
exceeding 765 inches, (the present limit of the id.
supplement stamp)
But it shall be lawful to print any such newspaper and
supplement in two sheets of any other proportions
than named above, provided the aggregate size is not
more than 2,293 inches, or in one single sheet of that
size •

For any further additional supplement, and printed
as such, not exceeding 1,148 inches, or half of the
aggregate of 2,295 inches
And there is to be no restriction of any kind whatever as
to the contents of the supplements, which may consist
wholly of news, or partly of news and partly of advertise-
ments, as may be most convenient.
INSTANTANEOUS FLOWERING OF PLANTS.—M. Her-
bert, a gentleman who has recently arrived from France, on'
Saturday exhibited to a few ladies and gentlemen his
method of causing plants to blow almost instantaneously.
The plants selected—a group of geraniums and a rose tree'
—were planted in two rather deep boxes of garden mouldr
previously prepared with some chemical manure, and
were then covered with glass shades. Mr. Herbert next
proceeded to pour over the roots, from a small watering-
pot, a chemical mixture, which uniting with the in-
gredients already in the earth caused a great heat, as was
shown by an intense steam or vapour which was evolved
within the shades, and allowed to some extent to escape
through a small hole in the top, which at first was kept
closed. The effect upon the geraniums was certanly
almost instantaneous, the buds begining to burst in about
five or six minutes, and the plants being in full bloom
within ten minutes, when the blossoms were gathered by
M. Herbert and distributed amongst the ladies present.
With the rose tree the exhibitor was less fortunate, M.
Herbert explaining that it had only been in his possession
about half or three quarters of an hour, and he had there-
fore not had sufficient time to prepare for the experiment.
thereby evincing that it occupies more time than would
appear to the casual observer to be the case.

RHUBARB.--The proper time to make the preserve is
about mid-season of gathering the rhubarb ; it is cut into
2-inch pieces, well boiled for half an hour or so, and then
sugar is added in proportion of Ilb. of sugar to 11b. of
rhubarb; it is then boiled half an hour longer, adding a
small proportion of any of the three marmalades. This
preserve, when well made, is equal to the finest green-
gage plum, and much more wholesome. As to making
a fine sparkling champagne of rhubarb stalks, the proper
time is after the roots have just done growing, the stems
become much more acid, contain less water, and con-
sequently are in a much riper state; round London this
happens in August. The stalks are gathered, and smashed
and bruised in tubs, then water is added ; after steeping.
for three or four days, it is strained off, and sugar put to
it ; lump is best, if you prefer the wine to be clear. It is
then put into the casks, and there it ferments for a fort-
night or so. It can then be either left in the cask for a
time or bottled off at once, and can be used the next-
summer ; a finer or more wholesome wine cannot possibly,
be than this is. Before bottling off, a small quantity of
white or brown brandy may be added to it. I have drank.
this champagne, and no one can tell it from real grape
champagne of the south of Europe, in comparison with,
which rhubarb wine costs nothing. In pulling out the
cork it effervesces and sparkles most beautifully. What-
will rhubarb not make ?—Gardeners' Chronicle.
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY. The third•
quarterly general meeting of this society was held at the
Freemason's Tavern on Wednesday. There was El
numerous attendance. Amongst the leading members
present were Lord Viscount Ranelagh, Lord Alfred S.-
Churchill, Mr. Booker, M.P., Mr. Ray, Mr. Maitland,
Mr. Steven, Mr. Stracey, Mr. Ewens Bennett, Colonel
Abdy, the Rev. Dr. Worthington, &c. Viscount
Ranelagh presided. The report of the executive com-
mittee stated that upwards of 4,500 shares had been issued'
during nine months, representing a capital of £255,000,
on which £35,000 have been paid. The number of shares
on the Order of Rights is 879. The number of estate
bought is ten, of which one has been allotted, and three
are ready for allotment. Since their last report the
executive committee had purchased four estates for dis'
tribution amongst members of the society, namely, one
at Leeds, in the West Riding of Yorkshire; two, at Forest
Hill, in West Kent ; Oatlands Grange, at Weybridg•e'
West Surrey ; and four, the Round Hill at Brighton, 'n
East Sussex. The Ealing Rectory estate had been core'
pletely allotted, and building operations would
diately commence. The allotment of the Putney est"'
would take place on the 20th, and that of the Wool-greenl
Tottenham, as well as of the Leeds estates, on the 211.'
of July. So great had been the increase of the busieer.
of the society, that the committee had been forced to tat.
much larger premises adjoining their present offices IA
Norfolk-street. In conclusion, the committee staar:
that they had been enabled, by surrendering a controc!
for the purchase of an estate, to effect a very advantage‘4
arrangement, by which the amount of nearly X.Sfo
profit had been realised to the society. The chairman
gave some statistical details in illustration of the Pr°l_re
of the society. In .the first quarter the receipts v. in
£6,486 Is. 6d. ;in the second, £10,779 ss. ; and
the third, £15,163 3s. 9d., so that there was an increase
_art
in the ratio of about £5,000 in each quarter. Thererook
was adopted by acclamation. A public drawing then
_Leen
place for right of choice on the society's estates,t v2l
;hares were drawn, and it was conounce.d
tnye!
Ia
would be placed on the Order of Rights by sernori
the vice
the evening the executive committee entertained the noble
chairman and Colonel Brownlow Knox, M.P., Green"
chairman, at dinner at the Crown and ScePter: by gr-
wich. Lord Alfred Churchill presided, a
Booker, M.P. We understand that a public
society, will
the •
celebrate the extraordinary success of
_the a
dinner, t?
take place pa the of July ; Lord Ituaeloga