The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-08-06 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS

A machine has been invented by a person named Bahia, to
apply printing to railway telegraphic communications.
The authorities of Eton College have determined to place
a bust, executed by one of the most celebrated sculptors, of
his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, in the Upper School.

Mr. Cornelius O'Brien, M.P., is the only Irish solicitor
in the House of Commons.

There is not a'single medical man in the present parliament,
-with the exception of Mr. Wakley, the editor of the Lancet.
He is not a physician, strictly speaking. The profession was
not represented in parliament since 1837, when Dr. Baldwin
had a seat.

There is no foundation for the paragraph which has gone
the round of the newspapers, announcing that Mr. Brunel is
about to perform a match from Bristol to London, by the
Hurricane, within two hours, for £lOOO.
The Conservatives of South Derbyshire dined together at
Derby, on Tuesday, to celebrate their recent triumph over
Whig fraud and intimidation at the recent election, in the
return of Messrs. Mundy and Colville. Sir F. Burdett
presided.
- - -

A strong representation has been made to Government,
and 'an investigation demanded, for an inquiry into the con-
duct of Mr. Smith, the stipendiary magistrate, stationed at
Mallow during the disgraceful contest for that borough at the
late election, a great want of precaution and energy being the
charge alleged against that gentleman.

STOTFIELD LIGHTHOUSE.—HOLYMAN'S SCARES.—Th
commissioners of the northern lights are now proceeding
with the preliminary steps towards the erection of a light-
house for the protection of the mariner against those dan-
gerous rocks lying about one mile off the shores of the Moray
Frith between the harbours of Burghead and Lossiemouth.
ASSEMBLING OF PARLIAMENT.—The following is a copy
of Lord John Russell's circular to the liberal members of
parliament, which puts an end to rumours of all previous
resignation by ministers -

" Downing-street, July 31, 184].
" Sir—As upon the meeting of parliament, on Thursday,
the 19th of August, the House of Commons will immediately
proceed to the choice of a speaker, and to the consideration
of business of the highest importance, I take the liberty of
earnestly requesting your attendance on that day.—l have
the honour to be, sir, your obedient, faithful servant,

" JOHN RUSSELL."
The result of careful inquiry as to the probable condition
of the ensuing harvest is most satisfactory. In those parts
of the country where the crop was reported to have been
thin, the fulness of the kerning has been such as not only to
dissipate all apprehension as to quantity, but also affords the
most rejoicing promise in respect of its quality. Every de-
scription of corn presents the like gratifying appearance.
Potatoes, from the fast rains we have had, will necessarily

be d hevy produce. Mangelwurzel will be a prodigious
crop. Apples will be about half an average bearing. The
late showery weather has impeded the completion of the hay
harvest, but very little of the crop has as yet been damaged.
--Sontersetshire paper.

THE WEATHER.-Up to the commencement of the pre-
sent week, very little hay-grass has been cut, owing to the
long-continued wet weather, in the western and north-
western parts of this riding; but since then the harvest has
gone on briskly and successfully ; the quantity abundant ;
the quality excellent. In some places the grain crops, par-
ticularly wheat, were extensively laid by the rain ; the sun
and the breeze of the present week, however, have done
much towards restoring them. Barley is very fine ; so are
beans, potatoes, turnips, &c. There is. indeed, a 'rich pro-
mise of abundance of all kinds.—Leeds hztelligencer.

The Carlow Sentinel of Saturday, after describing a newly
invented pike, which are openly exhibited without attracting
notice, and thousands of which are in progress of manufac-
ture, says,—" At the late borough election, about three hun-
dred men on footand on horseback marched through Carlow,
bearing these poles with concealed pikes, preceded by a cha-
pel band ! ! We are not called upon to express any opinion
at present on this discovery, beyond the fact that Mr. O'Con-
nell was aware of the contemplated insurrection on the 12th
July, and sent an express to Col. Jackson to check the pro-
gress of the pikemen, being apprehensive that if they came
into collision with the military, his own life might pay the
forfeit. The pike we have seen was employed by one of a
party of insurgents from Kilkenny, which was commanded
by a priest."
THE PLEASURES OF PATRONAGE.—A member of Mr.
Maule's Committee, residing within a few miles of Perth,
complained the other day to the right honourable gentleman
that his prominent connexion with his cause subjected him
to a very annoying inconvenience. His house was beset
hourly by persons claiming his influence with Mr. Manic,
and asking him to sign recommendations to his notice and
applications for situations in the penitentiary or the excise.
There were many of these promised during the late canvass;
but still the recommendations by influential members of the
election committee are considered of much importance.
The gentleman alluded to, in his perplexity, asked Mr. Maule
seriously what he should do? Mr. Maule replied—" My
dear sir, I'll tell you what to do, and you will find it quite
easy,; say little and sign them all.—Perth Constitutional.
A RAT BARRACK.—Mr. Russell, the eminent provision
merchant of Limerick, has a " rat barrack" on these pre-
mises. It is about twelve feet long and six feet broad, and
the walls about four feet high, with a coping-stone on the
top, that projects a couple of feet inside the wall—the inside
of the wall is full of holes that just admits a rat's body,
leaving his tail outside—the whole is covered with old boards ;
there are two passages for them to come outside into the
yard, where they are fed and never disturbed ; the conse-
quence is, they never go into his store where the bacon is—
once every three months he closes the holes that communi-
cate with the yard—he uncovers the walls, and the rats all
run into the holes in the walls ; their tails are " hanging
out," when a man goes in, takes them one by one by the
tails, and throws them into a barrel, when they are all de-
stroyed, to leave room for a fresh supply.
SIGNIFICANT (CIRCUMSTANCE.—The intelligence from
India brought by the last mail, meagre and incomplete as it
is, suggests very painful anticipations for the tranquility and
safety of a portion of the British empire, for:which I am pe-
culiarly interested—l mean our Indian possessions. It sug-
gests to me the necessity for making known a circumstance
of a very significant character that has occurred here.
Towards ;Le close of last year there arrived in Paris from
IndiS: a General Harland, who had been Aide-de-Camp and
Chief of the Staff to Dost Mohammed during a considerable

time, and had had under his command a corp; of 10,000 men.
He is deemed a man of talent and of unbounded knowledge
in Indian affairs. General Harland is an American, who
arrived some five-and-twenty years ago in India in the capa-
city of a first surgeon, and was subsequently employed by
the East India Company. It is not necessary that I trace
him up to his attaining the rank above-mentioned, but I shall
observe that his arrival here last Winter (or Autumn) created
some sensation, as the object of his visit was suspected, and
indeed said to be a political one. Like all American citizens
of respectability, he was introduced to King Lomis Philippe
by General Cass, the American Minister, and received with
distinction. He wqs also said to have had much communi-
cation with M. Thiers (then Prime Minister of France), and
with Count Pahlen' on—it is hardly necessary that I say—
the subject of British dominion in India. The correctness
or incorrectness of this latter on dit, though convinced of its
exactitude, I am not in a condition to prove, but this I can
aver, on unquestionable authority, that General Harland has,
at the special invitation of the Russian Government, pro-
ceeded to St. Petersburgh.—Times Correspondent.
APPLICATION OF THE TIDES AND WAVES AS A MO
ING POWER.—A correspondent of the Mechanic's Maga-
zine, gives the following description of a simple contrivance,
about being erected near Brixham, Devonshire, by a Mr.
Prior, for the purpose of raising water for washing ore, and
which promises to be a great and general benefit. Mr. Prior
has succeeded in obtaining a motion to work a pump, by the
action of the tide and waves. Two pieces of timber are laid
out into the sea in a slanting direction as far as low-water
mark, and are strongly secured by iron-work to the rocks ;
these timbers are about four feet asunder, having a groove in
each. A strong cask, having two gudgeons, slides up and
down in these grooves, so that the least motion of the waves
causes the cask to rise and fall. Attached to the centre of
the cask there is an eye of iron, into which a chain is fixed
that runs over the pulley, and is attached to the bucket of a
pump of large dimensions. The bucket of this pump is of
sufficient weight to sink of itself, keeping the chain tight,
having room enough to traverse, so as to allow for the rising
and falling of the tides ; the cask is about half filled with
stone, so as to counteract its buoyancy. If worked upon a
larger scale, an immense body of water might, it is calcu-
lated, be raised to any height by this power, and being caught
in reservoirs could be made applicable to drive any sort of
machinery by means of water-wheels.
OPINION OF THE PARIS PRESS UPON THE MACLEOD
CASE.—The Paris papers contend that the honour of Great
Britain is compromised by the notification of Mr. Fox that
the British Government would not move in the affair until
the result should become known. This is not all, however.
A case which occurred in this city in 1802 has been placed
before me, to show that " the weak Government of Mr. Ad-
dington" acted in a different spirit in analagous circum-
stances. " During the peace of Amiens," said my inform-
ant, " Captain, afterwards Admiral D'Auvergne, a British
officer, who commanded in Jersey during the war just con-
cluded, arrived here (Paris) to make some claim. He was
arrested by order of Bonaparte, on a charge of having been
concerned in sending over to France emissaries to assassinate
him (Bonaparte.) Immediately on the circumstance reach-
ing the ears of Mr. Addington, he ordered Mr. Merry, the
then British ambassador in Paris, to demand his passports in
24 hours, should Captain D'Auvergue be not released. This
notification of the weak Government of Mr. Addington'
had its effect. Captain D'Auvergne was instantly released,
but, as was competent to the French Government, was com-
pelled to proceed to Calais under an escort of two gend'armes.
and to embark for England.—Times Correspondent.
A HARD CASE.—A few days ago a somewhat whimsical
circumstance occurred on the banks of the Clyde at the pub-
lic green. A gentleman went into the river to bathe, and at
the same time a person who had very much the appearance of
not having been washed for this season at least, was plunging
about in te water. In a short time the latter moved sud-
denly to the bank, and arraying himself in the gentleman's
clothes, walked off at a rapid rate across the green, without
casting even one lingering look at the bundle of rags he had
left behind, and which, for want of betler, had a short time
before, served him as clothing. By and bye, the gentleman,
who had had a most delectable bath, left the water, and hur-
ried to his garments ; but his astonishment may be conceived
when, instead of the gay and comfortable clothing of which
he had denuded himself, he found a dirty tattered suit,
scarcely worth sixpence—a jacket miserably out at the elbows,
and a pair of trousers so ragged, that it would almost have
required a chart to get into them. He held up the greasy in-
expressibles, and stared through them with a look of amaze-
ment, which had in it so much of the ridiculous, as to create
no small amusement to some people who were spectators of
the scene. But there was no help forit ; a man shivcring on
the banks of the
Clyde, will be glad to draw to any habili-
ments, however poor they may be ; and the gentleman in the
present case formed no exception—he was fain to put on the
wretched suit which the kindness of the thief had left for his
use, and hastened into town with as much speed as might be,
mos completely disguised from any friends he might chance
to meet, by the novelty of his costume.—Glasgow Argus..
LAUNCH OF THE HINDOSTAN.—Her Majesty's ship Hin-
pperrefloimrmineadrybefore a operationlarge of
dostan was launched on Monday from the dockyard at Dc-
vonport. At eight o'clock the
lifting the ship by wedges was
assembly of members of the British Association. The Hin-
dostan is a teak-built ship, the frame timbers of which were
converted in India and sent home. She has been thirteen
years in construction, having been laid down in August, 1828,
and was originally intended to be an 80-gun ship, but for the
new scale of armament for the British navy which was esta-
blished in February, 1832. The length from the fore part of
the figurehead to the after part of the taffrail is 217 feet 11
inches ; length of the gun-deck, 185 feet 8 inches ; extreme
breadth, 50 feet 10 inches ; extreme height of figurehead
above the lower part of the false keel 47 feet 4 inches; ex-
treme height of the taffrail above ditto 53 feet 9 inches ;
depth in hold 21 feet and three-quarters of an inch. Her
burden is 2050 tons ; her weight when launched 1606 tons,
and her weight when completely equipped for sea 3213 tons.
The disposition of her armament is as follows :—Gun-decks
30 guns, 4 of which will throw hollow shot of 561 b. weight,
or sells of eight inch diameter, the remaining 26 being 32-
pounder guns •, on the main deck 32 guns, 2-of which are for
561 b. hollow shot; and on the quarter deck and forecastle 16
guns, of which 4 will be 32-pounders, and the remaining 12
will be 32-pounder carronades. The ports are 7 feet G inches
apart, the width of ports 3 feet 4 inches each, and the total
distance of the guns from each other is 10 feet I 0 inches, with
one exception, at the gangway entrance, where the ports are
18 inches further apart than elsewhere. The launch was
most successful.