The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-20 00:00:00

Twa most characteristic excellence of the Birmingham
show is, unquestionably, the poultry, in which it has taken,
and will probably long maintain, the lead. Last year's
exhibition contained 1,300 pens of this description of farm
produce, a number which was then quite unapproached ;
but now the entries are 2,275. If it be borne in mind that
the present contributors, who come from all parts of the
country, and even from Ireland,with the exception of some
fifty or sixty, are all amateurs, and that the sales of birds
exhibited amounted in one day to £l,OOO, some idea may
be formed of the wide area over which the poultry mania
is diffused, and of the intensity of its symptoms. The fifty
or sixty exceptional cases are those of dealers permitted to
fill space not occupied, from accident or some other cause,
by the original applicants. One of these dealers sold a
cock and hen (Bramah Pootras) for £l2O, the auctioneer,
with a boldness which reminds one of George Robins,
declaring that " they were thrown away at that price."
It would therefore appear that, notwithstanding all the
ridicule poured upon it, the poultry mania still rages
among us with epidemic fury. It has given an extraordi-
nary interest to this year's show at Birmingham, for such
a collection has never previously been brought together;
and, however absurd may be the present mode of forcing
forward a braneh of farmyard economy hitherto as absurdly
neglected, there can be no doubt that in our usual wild
extravagant way we are perfecting the best breeds of
poultry in the world. The display of these at Birmingham
is set off by a new and greatly improved arrangement of
pens, which enable the birds to be better seen than
formerly. Exhibited in such numbers and excellence,
facilities of inspection, so as to discriminate their nicely
shaded merits, are essential ; and it may help to convey
some idea how closely these merits are contested, that a
fine pen of Cochin China fowls, which won the silver medal
in its class at Cheltenham, and eleven first premiums else-
where, has not even been mentioned. In Dorkings, espe-
cially the dark gray, there is a wonderful display. The
Spanish and game varieties are also exceedingly well repre-
sented. Malays, which generally form weak parts of
poultry exhibitions, are here exceedingly strong. As for
Cochin Chinas, they are larger, more awkward upon their
legs, and heavier than ever, and, therefore, will, no doubt,
be considered more beautiful by discriminating judges.
The black and white varieties are chiefly in vogue at pre-
sent, but none are without their special admirers, who
point out how splendidly the birds in some pens are
feathered and " fuffed " out, while those in others have
diseolorations of the legs, or some blemish equally fatal to
their reputation and standing as fowls. At this season of
the year, when turkeys rise so much in estimation and in
price, it may not be useless to point out that the wild ,
American species, distinguishable by its bronzed wing,
carries the palm away at all our recent shows for weight
and excellence. Being close-feathered birds, they do net
look so large as they are in reality. An erroneous impres-
sion appears to prevail, that because wild in America they
are troublesome to domesticate, but this we are assured is
not the case. A cock and two hens exhibited weigh 5511 b.
Aylesbury decks retain their old superiority, but there
are some uoteittles in geese, the " Embden " beating the
"Toulouse." Although the agriculturist may hold in
some disparagement the poultry department of the Bir-
mingham Exhibition, the attractiveness of the whole dis-
play with 'tile general public depends largely upon that
feature. There is something in the tery,eock-crowing
which 'insures popularity, and the birds seem to have dis-
'covered litat it is so—for many of them are .already suffer-
ing from their efforts to outchallenge 'each other, and if
ghosts, as Shakspere represents, are scared by such sounds,
'none will venture during the next few days within earshot
of

11N INQUEST was held in London,,on Saturday, on the
body of a lady of property, mama Goodman, who came by
her death from sucking worm lozenges, obtained from a
'Chemist, named Ball. A medical man, who attended the
deceased, said the lozenges were composed of calomel, and
That the deceased had died ftom mercurial poison. If there
'was one thing more iiangerous that another, it was taking
calomel in the shape 'of a lozenge. It having been proftel
that Mr. Ball gave no instructions with the lozenges, the
coroner and jury commented on Tis conduct, and a vordidt
of " Accidental poisoning" was 'recorded.

SPORTING INT.ELLIGENCE.
TAITTERSALLS.—THIIRSDIY.
Scarcely a doyen members met, and only the fotterwintbets
were laid:— I.IVEItrOOL-SrEEPLE CHASE.
9to 1 on Theiield—offered.
200 to 10 agst Mr. liarngtt's Sir Peter Laurie—tnken.

TUE nrsnny. 1854.
900 to 100 asst Baron Rothschild's King Tom-4iken
200 to 10 Mr. RJ. Aditin's Ruby—taken.
2000 to 63 'Lord DerbPs Boiardo—taken.