The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-06-13 00:00:00

is from 251 to 301. The following are present
rates :—Down tegs, 121 d. to 13d. per,lb. ' • ewes,
12d. to 121 d. ; half-bred hogs, 12d. ; Cheviot hogs,
121 d. to 13d. ; wethers, 12d. to 122 d. ; Kent fleeces,
12d. to 121 d. ; Irish hogs, 121 d. ; wethers, 12d.
Imports for the week only 81 bales, of which 61
are Irish and 18 coastwise.

Messrs. W. GREAME and Co., in their weekly
report, say :
We have no new feature of any moment in the wool
market since our last monthly report ; the same stagna-
tion is manifest as regards the home trade, which has so
long prevailed in this branch ; but some sales have been
made for export to the States, as also to France and Bel-
g,ium, chiefly in Buenos Ayres and low-priced foreign
wools, at about the average reduction in prices. The
accounts from Yorkshire and other manufacturing dis-
tricts still continue very unsatisfactory, and in some cases
we are again compelled to make some slight reduction in
our quotations.

THE FRENCH PLAYS.

TO THE EDITOR OF T lIE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Sin,—ln reply to a letter inserted in to-day's
relative to the high prices of admission charged for the
French Plays, will you have the kindness to permit the
following explanation to appear in your paper ?—On the
first visit of the French company to Liverpool, the prices
were : boxes, 7s. ; pit, 3s. ; gallery, 2s. This first engage-
ment was the joint speculation of myself and Mr. Mitchell,
and the very great appreciation of the performances by the
Liverpool public induced me to form an arrangement with
M. Lafont to give a season of the same length in Liver-
pool as in London. The prices of admission being this
time under my own control,ll reduced the boxes to 55., pit
35., amphitheatre 25., gallery ls. At some considerable
expense, I reconstructed a portion of the auditory as stalls
and private boxes. The stalls are 7s. in the Theatre Royal,
Liverpool ; at the St. James', in London, they are 10s. 6d.
I am fully aware of the policy of a moderate tariff; but
French plays, like French wines, cannot be appreciated by
the whole English public, and, therefore, I respectfully
submit the slight advance made cannot be fairly objected
to by those for whose more select taste and gratification
they are especially provided.
I beg permission to add, also, that the paragraph going
the rounds of the local papers, to the effect that Messrs.
Cramer and Beale will give Italian operas in Liverpool,
with all the advantages of the Covent-garden band, chorus,
dresses, and properties, is erroneous.
It is my intention to do so, and for that purpose a nego-
eiation is pending, but the whole expense of the perform-
ances—the present French, and the anticipated Italian—
are, and will be, borne by myself ; and
I think you will admit, it is but just to give the credit
of these popular (if not always profitable) arrangements to
the party incurring the risk.—Your obedient servant,
W. R. COPELAND.
Theatre Royal, Liverpool, 12th June, 1854.

HISTORIC SOCIETY OF LANCASHIRE
AND CHESHIRE.

Ox Thursday evening last, the eighth meeting of the
above society, and the concluding one for the session, was
held in the Collegiate Institution, Dr. Kendrick, of War-
rington, in the chair.
John Johnson Banning and John Herd, Esqrs., were
elected members. _ _ _

Donations were laid upon the table, including a curious
Roman vase from Jesse Hartley, Esq.; several Reports of
the Board of Health, from Robert Rawlinson, Esq., of
London; the Report of the Joint Societies of Northamp-
ton, Lincoln, York, and Bedford ; and a Table on the
Decimal Coinage, from Samuel Richardson, Esq.
Mr. Mayer exhibited a series of objects found in a
Roman grave near Cologne, apparently children's toys.
Mr. Mayer had kindly lent for exhibition three old maces
of the corporation, which, from the royal arms engraved
upon them, seemed to belong to the time of James I,
Charles 11, and Anne, respectively. Mr. Brackstone, of
Bath, exhibited three curious silver coins, one of Philip of
France, and two rare Napoleon medals. Mr. Mayer exhi-
bited several gold ornaments from Etruria ; a document
addressed by William 111. to the Primate of all Ireland,
enjoining a thanksgiving after the Battle of the Boyne.
The Rev. J. S. Howson exhibited several curious figures
of ancient and mediaeval ships, in illustration of his own
paper.
Mr. Mayer drew attention to the fact that, in a recent
tour on the Continent, he found the Historic Society well
known at Vienna and Berlin, anti its transactions pre-
served in the principal libraries there.
The papers for the evening were then read. The first
was on the History of Naval Terms, Part 11., by the Rev.
J. S. Howson, M.A. ; and the Second Concluding Address
at the Close of the Second Triennial Period, by the Rev.
A. Hume, D.C.L. Thanks were voted to the donors,
exhibitors, and authors of papers, and the session closed.

COLLISION ON THE RIVER, AND LOSS OF

TWO LIVES.

YESTERDAY, P. F. Curry, Esq., held an inquest on the
body of a boy named Frank Thomas, aged nearly eight
years, who came by his death on the 29th of May, in con-
sequence of a fishing-boat in which he was in on the river
having been run down and cut in two by the Countess of
Ellesmere steamer, plying to Runcorn.
The captain of the boat and some of the parties belong-
ing to her were present, and Mr. Wright, the Clerk of the
Peace, appeared for the owners of the vessel.
It appears that, on the morning of the 29th ult., the
Countess of Ellesmere left the Pier-head, as usual, for
Runcorn, and that when in the Dingle bay, she ran into a
fishing-boat. In the boat were Samuel Kay, his son, aged
about ten years, and the deceased lad. The allegation of
Kay is, that the steamer came right on, without altering
her way, although the boat could be seen a mile or more
off, and that the steamer ran into him, although he shouted
and hailed her to alter her course, which was not done.
He alleged that there was no one on the look-out, nor did
he see any one on the paddle-box of the boat, at the time
when she struck the small boat. There were from sixty
to eighty passengers in the steamer at the time, and the
moment the accident happened, she was reversed, and a
boat lowered to the assistance of the parties who had been
in the small boat. Kay was rescued, but the boys were
drowned, although no exertion was spared to save their
lives. At the moment of the accident the captain was be-
low, collecting the fares (as that is part of his duty) from
the passengers. It did not, however, clearly appear that
the mate had taken the place of the captain, before the
latter went below. _

The first person belonging to the ship was Isaac Eccle-
ston, who said he was on board the steamer between Run-
corn and Liverpool for four years, and there was always a
look-out kept from the paddles as well as forward, except
when the fares are collecting, and then the mate takes
the look-out on the paddle-box and then captain ; can't
say at what speed the boat was going on the day in ques-
tion ; he did not lose sight of the small boat from the
time she was one and a half miles off ; and up to the time
she was within one hundred yards of the steamer.
Nothing more than was done could have been done to
avert the danger.
William Ball, another of the crew of the Countess of
Ellesmere, said he was in the same employ for twenty-
nine years; when the accident happened he and the cap-
tain lowered a boat to assist the party; the steamer was
going 10 miles an hour, and she could be stopped in
double the length of herself. She is 170 feet long.
The captain of the boat got an excellent character for
steadiness, prudence, caution, and sobriety.
The CORONER, in an elaborate charge to the jury,
summed up the evidence.
The Juror found the following verdict--Accidental
death, with the accompanying presentment :—" The jury,
in returning a verdict of accidental death by drowning,
consider the captain of the Countess of Ellesmere was
guilty of some amount of negligence in leaving his post
on the paddle-box before the mate had taken his place,
and we also consider the man at the look-out forward was
guilty of some amount of negligence in not earlier noting
the position of the small boat when at a distance of a
mile and a half."

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENs.—The proprietor of this esta-
blishment has succeeded admirably during the past week
in attracting numbers of visitors to the gardens ; nearly
6,000 entered on Whit-Monday alone. The selection of
amusements has been judicious, combining all the attrac-
tions and allurements of a summer resort, with a grand
comic pantomime,.entitled " The Wizard and the Fee, or
Harlequin Topsy 'Aunty," which excited to no small extent
the risible faculties of those who witnessed it. The pan-
tomime, under the arrangement of Mons. Leclercq, abounds
in fun and witticisms. Those celebrated pantomimists, Herr
Nicolo Deulin and his sons, appear as clown and sprites,
and Mons. Leclercq's company, including Miss Louisa
Leclercq, appear in several graceful and popular dances.
The scenery, which has been painted by Messrs. Norrie
and. Matthews, represents several places of local interest,
including a view of the Custom-house. The pantomime is
announced for every gala evening this week. The great
Etna bursts forth as usual every evening, much enhanced
by the very lavish displays in the pyrotechnic art with
which Mr. Atkin surrounds the huge mountain, and a
ball usually concludes the evening's entertainments—most
assuredly abundance of amusements for the very low
charge of admittance.
OPENING OF THE NEW CORN EXCHANGE.—For several
months past, since leaving the Old Gas Company's pre-
mises, in Dale-street, our corn merchants have held their
markets in a portion of the new building in Brunswick-
street, to which the entrance was from the Old Ropery,
Fenwick-street. During last week the temporary parti-
tion dividing the back from the front portion of the build-
ing has been removed, and on Friday the entire hall was
thrown open for business, and occupied with the ordinary
stands used by the trade. It presents a noble appearance,
and is admirably suited for the purposes for which it has
been erected. Its dimensions are 28 yards in depth from
the front, and 35 yards in width. An almost perfect
square might have been secured; and it is thought by
some that the increased space would have been most
desirable, considering the large number of foreign and
other firms which have been lately added to our native
dealers. The committee, however, have decided to appro-
priate a portion of the frontage in Brunswick-street for
offices. The plan and construction of the hall reflect great
credit upon Mr. Picton, the architect, and exhibit strik-
ingly the advantages afforded by the introduction of
glass into such buildings. The roof is formed of three
pointed arches, supported by elaborately ornamented cast-
iron framings. The centre arch is loftier and wider than
those at the sides, and rests upon Belt iron pillars. The
lower portion of the roof is cased with timber, whilst the
upper part is formed of large plates of glass, which throw
an ample and clear light over the entire space below. One
half of the centre roof—in the rear of the building—is
entirely cased over with wood ; but from the portion just
opened being painted white, whilst the iron and wood
work of the other portion is painted oak colour, it may be
presumed that light is regarded as the great desideratum,
and that the whole will ultimately be made uniform, by
the centre arch of the latter being also provided with glass
roofing. The offices in front of this building being as yet
uncompleted, and the propel: entrance impeded by scaffold-
ing, bricks, &c., the admission is, therefore, still by the
door from the Old Ropery. When the front is finished,
the Corn Exchange will provide a most admirable room
for public meetings, being, from its great area-980
square yards of flooring—capable of accommodating conve-
niently, at the low estimate of three 4 a yard, nearly
three theamtutt People,—loirnsF4