The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-02-27 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

MURDER.-At the assizes at Newcastle• on-Tyne on
Thursday a young man, named Thomas Mitchell. was
found guilty of the murder of his own infant illegitimate
child, by dashing it on the ground. A defence of insanity
was set up. The jury convicted the prisoner, but recom-
mended him to mercy.—Baron Alderson—On what
grounds ?—The Foreman—Because of our strong abhor-
rence of capital punishment.—Baron Alderson—Oh 1 that
is a very foolish ground. Any other or better reason ?
The Foreman—No my lord. His lordship then passed
sentence of death in very solemn terms. _ _

EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT TO A HORSE.-Mr. Key,
of Mansfield, trainer, has for some time had a steeple
chase horse in training, the property of one of the officers
of the 3d. Dragoon Guards ; and on Tuesday week one of
his jockeys was out with the animal on the Forest, giving
him a breathing on the Sherwood Gallop, when by some
unaccountable means the horse came down, and broke
both his fore legs immediately above the fetlock joint.
What makes this accident so singular is the fact that the
ground on which he was running is as smooth as a lawn.
The horse was killed shortly afterwards.—Notts Guar-
dian. . . . .

ENCLOSURE OF COMMON LANDS.—A bill brought in
by Sir George Grey and Mr. C. Lewis authorizes the En-
closure Commissioners for England and Wales to enclose
the following lands, for which provisional orders have
already been issued, viz.,—Pyrton, in the county of Ox-
ford ; Chorley-green, in the county of Chester • Bell,
Swann, and Silverlace-greens, in Suffolk ; Bickerton-
hills, in Cheshire; Brammerton-comtnon, in Norfolk;
Headley, in Southampton ; Oakworth-common, in York-
shire; Buckland Newton, in Dorset; Abbotsford, in
Southampton; Black Torrington, in Devon; Westwell
Leacon, in Kent • Holster-yarc, in Devon ; Cradley
in Hereford ; Firbank Fells, in Westmoreland ; Oxton,
in Nottinghamshire • Dent, in the West Riding of York-
shire ; Mansfield Woodhouse Forest, in Nottingham-
shire; and Cefn Ertham-common, in Brecknockshire.
HE WHO WINS THE WREATH SHOULD WEAR is
not, perhaps, generally known that Sir Charles Napier's
application for a peerage has been declined. The sub-
joined extract is the concluding portion of a notice of Sir
Charles's pamphlet on Oriental Warfare, and appeared in
Monday's Standard. It is unnecessary to direct atten-
tion to the last eight words of the extract, except for the
purpose of saying that the sentence is ane plus ultra
specimeri of conscience searching satire :—" If these sen-
timents were cited to a stranger, he would naturally as-'
cribe them to the seclusion of the closet and the piety of
the Christian. How utterly astonished he would be to
find in them the meditations of one who had been cradled
in the camp and educated amid the campaign, whose pen
was the sword, and whose book was the battle field, and
whose brow was crowded with such laurelled profusion
that cabinets feared that a coronet would only crush
them."

MAD HORSE.—On Sunday last, an extraordinary case
of hydrophobia developed itself in a horse belonging to
Wm. Green, Esq., of this city, surgeon. It appears that
on the afternoon f the above day, as Mr. G. was pro-
ceeding on a professional visit into the country, the
animal on which he rode—usually we believe of a quiet and
manageable disposition—suddenly became restive and
ungovernable—shying at the gates and other objects passed
upon the road, and evincing a strong disposition to bite.
The appearance of these symptoms aroused suspicions in
Mr. G's. mind as to the actual cause of the sudden change
in his horse's temper, and therefore alighting at Alden
Grange, he proceeded to bleed the animal, and after muz-
zling him, cautiously led him home. In the course of
these operations Mr. G. had a very narrow escape from
being bitten—the animal having seized hold of his
clothes with his teeth and knocked him down, but for-
tunately without inflicting any material injury. On ar-
riving at home, the symptoms of hydrophobia became
unmistakeable, and as the horse continued rapidly to
grow worse. Mr. G. at once adopted the resolution of
sacrificing him to prevent further mischief, and accord-
ingly, later on in the evening, after procuring the advice
of a veterinary surgeon, he despatched him with his own
hand. It is supposed that the dreadful malady had been
communicated to the poor animal by the bite of a little
dog, the property of Mr. G's. son, which used to sleep in
the stable beside it, and which was itself destroyed a few
weeks ago on suspicion of its being similarly affected.
We believe that instances of equine madness like the
present are of rare and unusual occurrence, and but sel-
dom fall within the observation of even the most experi-
enced veterinary practitioners, and therefore every case
tending to enlighten the professional mind as to the
diagnosis of this dreadful complaint must be deemed
peculiarly valuable and interesting. The loss to Mr. G.
is rather severe one; the estimated value of the animal
being, we believe, about fifty guineas.—Durham Adver-
tiser.

THE SISTERS op MERCY.—The result of the enquiry
by the Bishop of Exeter is altogether favourable to the
sisterhood. As faithful chroniclers, however, we must
now make mention that a complete justification was given
of the proceedings of those zealous and reverend clergy-
men through whose influence the enquiry was rendered
necessary, and consequently instituted. The most serious
charge made on the kart of these gentlemen had reference
to the introduct. of the cross, the raising of pictures on
the altar, the introduction and the constant varying of
emblematic flowers, and the bowing to those things when
on the altar, and to the altar itself when it was stripped
of these adjunctive ornaments, In the proof, substan-
tially made, of the charges in which this matter was al-
leged, the accusers themselves were justified in having
brought the matter forward. They were still further jus-
tified in the condemnation—somewhat reluctantly given
as it appears to us—passed upon the offensive practices
themselves—offensive, not so much in the passing act as
in the probable results to which the constant observation
of the act may lead. We should be on our guard lest the

gratified, not by adoring the Spirit, but the Image. The
bishop confessed that he had never been abroad : we have
and in hundrei ' ' "

we have seen how an innocent sentiment has developed
itself into an act of idolatry. We have seen crowds of
men, women, and children kissing the tooth or the bone
of some hypothetical saint, and looking to the act as a
meritorious act that would certainly bring advantage from

the Giver of gifts. Had the bishop ever been abroad dur-
ing the " Month of Mary," he would have understood,
still better than he does now, how flowers may be so used
• . +1,,,.....0n1yraa +tin aynrcihin

due only to the divinity in honour of whom the altar was
ostensibly raised. There is no evil in a picture; but he
who has seen illiterate peasants grovelling before one in
the dust, or frantically kissing it, as though a heart beat,

substantial form—he who has seen this—and we have
seen it, not once, but hundreds of times—cannot but feel
convinced that evil may come of it. It was in fear of such
resulting evil, looked for as a natural consequence of the
practices observed and enforced on the young at the Or-
nium Institution at Plymouth. that men. not more zealous

as to compel upon the bishop a fullenquiry and a decisive
verdict. The enquiry has taken place ; and, though we
are not inclined to throw away much admiration upon the
way in which the bishop presided at it, we are less inclined
to dispute his verdict. The practices complained of and
proved were condemned by his lordship. The accusers
sought for nothing more, and with this they will rest
1-i<rfic.ri —Phurrh and State Gazette.

The number of volumes in the Bodleian Library of
Oxford is about 220,000, and the number of MSS. 21,000.

LOCAL MEETINGS

.—At the half-yearly meeting,—
in the chair,—the report which was

THE GAS COMPANY

read stated that, though the consumption of gas had not
diminished in the ratio anticipated from the depression of
trade, yet that the directors deemed it prudent to divide
at the rate only of 41 per cent. for the last half-year.
The report also stated, that the company were about to

dispose of their properties in Dale-street and Hatton-
garden, and in Queen-square and Colquitt-street, and to
erect offices and workshops at, Newington. The report
was approved of and adopted.
HEALTH COMMITTEE.-At the meeting on Thursday,

sauces made his usual report.
__
exertions had been made to cleanse out ash-pits
The building surveyor put in his report relative to repai

still below the average—the deaths last week being ZO2
against 208 in the former• week. Five cases of Asiatic
cholera had occurred, two of which proved fatal. One of
the putients who died came from Glasgow, and the other
was a vagrant. Orders were given to repair Back Port-
land-street. The Chairman said that, for the prevention
of cholera, the committee were emptying the lodging-
houses of their overcrowded inmates. The necessary
particulars were ordered to be supplied by the respective
officers, to enable Dr. Duncan to prepare an annual re-
port of the proceedings-of the committee. There was no
other business of importance.
ANNIVERSARY DINNER OFTHE LIVERPOOL GUARDIAN
SO C lETY.—The twenty-sixth anniversary of this excellent
society, which has done so much to protect the honest
tradesman against the fraudulent attempts of swindlers
and other dishonest persons, was. celebrated last evening
by a public dinner, at Mrs. Eastwood's Royal Hotel,
Dale-street. Covers were laid for about one hundred
gentlemen, and the liberality with which the tables were
spread, together with the excellence of the viands. re-
flected the highest credit on the caterer. The chair was
occupied by Mr. William Smethurst, the president of the
society for the last year, the principal vice-chair by the
president elect, Mr. John Pemberton, and at the side
tables Mr. H. G. Ireland and Mr. Thomas Walker, offi-
ciated. The Worshiptul the Mayor was present; together
with the Town-clerk. There were also present Mr.
James Thomson, Mr. H. G. Harbord, Mr. J. A. Time,
and Mr. J. B. Lloyd, Town-councillors ; Mr. John Smith,
Mr. T. Crossley, Mr. J. Denton, Mr. A. Pringle, Mr.
C. Ashlin, Mr. Venn, sergeant-at-mace ; Mr. Walters,
and Mr. Quick. .

THE FEMALE PENITENTIARY.—The annual meeting
was held on Tuesday • John Cropper, Esq., in the chair.
The conduct of the patients during the past year had been,
for the most part satisfactory; and many of those who
had left the institution were filling responsible situations,
with credit. The state of the institution for the past year
was as follows ; Applications for admission, 75 ; refused
as unsuitable, 22 ; for want of funds, 17 ; taken into the
probationary wards, 36, Total, 75. In the house per
last report, 45 ; total in the house during the year, 81;
restored to their friends, or placed out at service, 21 ; left
by own desire, or for disobedience of rules, 7.; remaining
in the house, 46; fully admitted, 39; on probation, 7.
The total number since the establishment of the institu-
tion was as follows :—Admitted, 1,483; expelled, 190 ;
eloped, 35 ; left at own suggestion, ox dislike of rules, 588;
restored to their friends, or placed in service, 506 ; re-
moved to other institutions, 96; died, 22 ; in the house
at the present time, 46. Total, 1,483. The committee
called attention to the necessity of more systematic Scrip-
, total instruction for the inmates; and that every. ttAttn§,