The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-04-24 00:00:00

THE PROVISION TRADES,

Gold to the amount of £4,000,000 was produced last
year by the Russian mines.
Her Majesty and the junior branches of the royal
family arrived at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, from
Windsor Castle.

MATRICIDE.—On Monday afternoon week, Mrs. Ward,
the wife of a small farmer, at Thorpe, near Wainfleet,
was unnaturally murdered by her own son, who delibe-
rately took a loaded gun and shot his mother, as she sat
sleeping in her chair. The diabolical act had been in-
duced in consequence of some interference on the part of
the mother with respect to her son marrying a young
woman whose character she did not approve of. The
matricide, after the act, attempted self-destruction, but
was prevented carrying his intention into effect. He was
committed for trial.
THE EXETER POSTOFFICE ROBBERY.— The convicts
Poole, Nightingale, and Harrap, were sent off on Tuesday
night from Exeter gaol to London. Harrap has made a
confession to the chaplain of Exeter gaol. He acknow-
ledges himself to be the only and actual transgressor.
Harrap was engaged as a letter carrier in Exeter Post-
office ; the parcel containing the money accidentally got
thrown amongst some newspapers he was sorting. and

. .
having opened it, he could not resist the temptation of
retaining the notes, twelve of which he changed, and the
other forty-eight, the matter having come to the know-
ledge of his wife, she induced him to burn. He ac-
quitted his wife and Mr. Hyett, (the post clerk, in the
first instance charged with the theft) of all participation
or knowledge of the robber),

RUISER IN THE BRITISH CHANNEL.—
SOUTHAMPTON, Sunday, April 22.—The Danish brig-of-
war Ornen, 18 guns, bound to Copenhagen, arrived at
Cowes, from St. Thomas's, on the 18th inst., and the
commander proceeded to London for instructions from
the Danish Minister ; and, having returned, the Ornen
got under weigh yesterday, and, instead of proceeding to
Copenhagen, sailed for the westward, with the view of in-
tercepting and capturing German and Prussian ships in
the chops of the Channel homeward bound from foreign
ports. Such vessels being, in all probability, ignorant of
the resumption of hostilities, would fall an easy prey to
the Danish brig. On the appearance of the Ornen in
Cowes roads on Wednesday last, all the German ves-
sels congregated there for shelter hoisted their national
flags out of bravo—a measure they would doubtless have
hesitated to adopt a few leagues from the coast.
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.—The bill (bearing the
names of Lnrd John Rncsell and Sir Genree Grpvl to

amend the acts relating to the ecclesiastical commission-
ers for England, is to be read a second time this day (Mon-
day) in the House of Commons. After reciting the seve-
ral acts, it states that the ecclesiastical commissioners
have become possessed of very large property in lands,
tithes, and other hereditaments, and, as the amount of
such property is year by year increasing, it is expedient
that fit and competent persons should be added to the
corporation, who shall devote their time and attention to
the manaeement of the property. Two lay members,
" Church Estates Commissioners," are to be appointed,
to be paid by salaries. A committee, called "the Estates
Committee," is to be appointed by this measure to manage
all the property of the commissioners. There are 19 provi-
sions
in the bill w

;he view to amend the

force respecting ecclesiastical matters.
SHIPPING EMPLOYED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.—
The total number of British and foreign vessels (steam
and sailing) entered inwards in the ports of the United
Kingdom in the year 1848 was 34,883, viz., British, 21,783,
and foreign, 13,104; British tonnage, 4,565,533; foreign,
1,960,412. The number of vessels British and foreign
engaged outwards in the same year was 34,852, viz., Bri-
tish, 21,177; foreign, 13,645; number of tons—British,
4,724,027 ; foreign, 2,056,654. The total number of sail-
ing vessels registered at English ports on the 31st of De-
cember, 1848, was 29,248, viz. above 50 tons, 11,363 ; un-
der 50 tons, 6586. Of steamers, above 50 tons, 358 ; under
50 tons, 447 ; total, 405. Registered at Irish ports—sailing
vessels above 50 tons, 1083 ; under 50 tons, 1158 ; total,
2248; steam vessels. 106. Registered at Scottish ports—
sailing vessels above 50 tons, 2219 ; under 50 tons. 1310 :

steam vessels, 168
registered in 184 f

vas 877; viz., sailing, 733; steam, 144; vessels sold and

THE COMMITTEES OF INVESTIGATION.—The Chair-
man of the Eastern Counties' Investigation Committee
has announced by advertisement that the report will be
ready for delivery on Thursday next. The adjourned
meeting of the shareholders is called for Thursday, the
10th of May. It is said that the committee's report will
be of a character most damaging to the acting directors.
The investigations of the South-Eastern Committee have
been kept remarkably quiet. It is rumoured that the
result will be highly favourable to the directors. On the
York, Newcastle, and Berwick case, opinions are much
divided. Our own we gave last week; but cannot, on
the ordinary principle of hearing both sides," refuse
insertion to a communication which we give elsewhere
to-day from a gentleman well qualified to judge, and
whose estimate of Mr. Hudson differs very materially
from ours. We have heard it reported that the dissen-
tients in the Berwick Company have solicited Mr. B.
Denison, M.P. (Chairman of the Great Northern Com-
pany) to assume the presidency:—Railway Record,

CRUELTY TO A CHILD.—At the Central-Criminal.Court,
London, on Monday, J. and E. Copeland, man and wife,
were indicted for using cruelty towards their child, John
Wm. Copeland. The prisoners had been previously in-
dicted for the murder of the child, but the evidence for
the prosecution not sustaining the graver charge, they
were indicted for the misdemeaner. The conduct of the
parents was shown to have been most brutal and un-
natural towards the deceased child, who was ultimately
released from his tormentors by being burned to death,
under circumstances to lead to the assumption that it had
been wilfully set on fire. The prisoners were convicted
and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. During the
trial, a complete " scene " occurred between Mr. Bullock,
the presiding judge, and Mr, Prendergast, who defended
the prisoners, the advocate insisting upon putting a
question which the counsel for the prosecution and Mr.
Bullock objected to, on the ground that it was leading the
witness. After many hard words, the matter ended by
the court putting the objectionable question.

SCENE IN THE AMERICAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES.—WhiIe Mr. Giddings, of Ohio, was sustaining
the house amendment, he applied to Mr. Meade, of Vir-
ginia, some opprobrious epithet, whereupon that gentle-
man set the precedent for Mr. Foote's onslaught, but
the belligerents were separated before any injury resulted
to either. You are left to imagine the scene which
followed. Ere, however, calm was restored, the floor
was obtained by Mr. Johnson, of Arkansas, who was
proceeding to drown the tempest prevailing by remarks
upon some question, not ascertained, when Mr. Ficklin,
of Illinois, approached his chair, and loud enough to be
heard, applied to him the term of " liar." Mr. Johnson,
in reply, very deliberately drew a cane, and struck
him across the forehead, shedding, it is true, a few
drops of heroic blood, but committing no greater damage.
Comment is unnecessary ; nor, under :the circumstances,
was either attack a matter of much astonishment. Equal
freedom of tongue, and similar licenses of strength, ap-
peared for an instant to pervade all parts of the house,
and it was not without the utmost endeavours of the
speaker that even partial harmony was restored. All
parties on the floor were divided, so were those in the
galleries—the belligerents, as in the case of prizefighters,
having each a host of friends to back him. Cries of "Go
it, Giddings ;" " At him, Meade ;" " Give him fits, old
boy ;" " Spill his claret again, Johnson ;" " Give him
an under left, Ficklin," and such disgraceful ejaculations,
were as frequent as the cries of " order" from the humi-
liated speaker.—Philadelphia Bulletin.

EFFECT OF THE LATE INDIAN VICTORY.—OUT corre-
spondence furnishes us with details confirming, beyond
all kind of doubt, the finality of the recent conflict. Ma-
jor Lawrence, who acts as mediator between his captors
and the British, has had an interview, since the battle,
with the discomfited insurgents. The Sikh chiefs, father
and son, were sitting, utterly broken down in spirits,
under a miserable tent, resembling rather gypsies than
generals, attended by about 8,000 fugitives, without bag-
gage, artillery, or ammunition, and to a great extent even
without arms. These relics of " the Khalsa " were ready
to disperse at the first signal as soon as the terms of sur-
render could be negotiated by their chiefs, and this it was
expected would speedily be effected by the unconditional
acceptance of the proposals offered by the British com-
mander. The Sikhs had twice attempted a modification
of these proposals, but in vain, and little doubt was enter-
tained but that they would presently surrender at discre-
tion. In this case it is not the intention of the govern-
ment to visit their misdeeds upon them with any rigorous
severity. Not only will their lives be spared, but they
will probably escape even that removal to Gangetic Hin-
dostan which has formed the mitigated penalty of so many
Indian delinquents. An honourable surveillance, accom-
panied by no illiberal means for the maintenance of their
rank, comprehends the measure of retribution as at pre-
sent contemplated ; and few will be found to assert that
less has been deserved. But the campaign which they
provoked has itself conveyed no inconsiderable chastise-
ment to themselves and their people. The rout of Goo-
jerat was a fatal day for the Sikh battalions. Little was
said, it may have been observed, about the prisoners taken
on the field, and but few, we fear, were made. Though
the British troops were not likely to reflect upon the un-
justifiable treachery in which the war had originated, yet
it was impossible to expect that the wounds of Chillian-
wallah should have been healed, and the spirit thus rank-
ling in their breasts was further aggravated by the con-
duct of their enemies. Prisoners were repeatedly found

to turn upon their captors after surrender, and one parti-
cular example, in which an officer of dragoons was killed
by a Sikh whose life he himself had saved, FO exasperated
the nien that it was henceforth a work alm
minAtion,— Times of Yesterday

of eater-

New Irish Butter is brought very slowly forward ; and
the finest samples meet a good market at 90s to 945, but
the lower sorts being interfered with by the remainder of
the old stock, are not sold readily. Bacon same as last
week. Lard is not quoted.
We quote the following particulars respecting American
provisions from Messrs. Marquis, Baxter and Co.'s circular
of Friday:—
"The demand for Lard during the present week has been
scarcely so brisk, and in some cases a slight concession in price
has been made; yet holders generally are fi= m at former rates.
At Tuesday's sale of Bacon dealers showed a fair disposition to
purchase, which importers having met by demanding increased
prices, resulted in little business; the few sales made were at
an advance of Is. per cwt. Hams have again receded in value
2s. per cwt. the transactions being chiefly at 31s. 6d. to 435. 6d.
per cwt. A, good demand exists f.r Shoulders, at full prices ;
the few parcels brought forward have realised 2-is. to 295. per
cwt., as in quality. Cheese has not been in brisk request, but
prices are nncaanged. In Beef a very moderate business has
taken place at about previous prices. Pork has also been in
moderate demand, fine eastern prime mess bringing 70s. per
balrel ; a parcel of ordinary western has been sold as low as
495. 6d. per barrel." The last quotations are—

72 .. 85 0 .. 0
65 .. 70
50 .. 70 tO _5B

Beef, free, prime mess, per tce
ordinary
Pork, filee, prime mess
Bacon, free, middles
Hams, duty, B.P, 25., Foreign 7s
In salt, not smoked, free .. _ -
Butter, Duty, B. P. 2s. 6d., Foreign 10s
Canadian
Cheese, Duty, B. P. Is. 6d., Foreign ss.
Fine, duty paid, per cwt. 44 0 .. 46 0
Middling „ ”
Ordinary „ ~
Lard, Free, fine, in kegs, per cwt. 35 0 .. 36 0
„ barrels „
Ordinary 3,
Inferior and Grease

43 .. 48

51 0 .. 61 0

NEW PATENTS.—AIfred Woollett, of Liverpool, artist,
for improvements in gun carriages. William Harrison
Pickering, of Liverpool, merchant, for improvements in
evaporating brine and certain other fluids. Thos. Har-
rison, of Liverpool, merchant, for certain improvements
in the construction of baking ovens, and also certain
machinery for working the same.

The Ailzenceuna of Saturday last states, that the Admi-
ralty have expressed their willingness to place a ship at
the disposal of the Liverpool Shipowners' Association, for
the purpose of being fitted for searching the Arctic Seas for
the expedition. Te cost of preparing the vessel would

have to be defrayed by public subscriptions, as well as
that of navigating her. The subject is under considera-
tion.

DERBY HOTEL.—It will be seen by an advertisement
in our present publication that, owing to the very unfa-
vourable state, of the weather during the past week, the
opening of the beautiful bowling-green attached to this

'hursday week next, w

we learn a splendid dejeuner will be provided for the
subscribers.

STATISTICS OF THE CONVIVIALITY AT THE HOTEL DE
VILLE.—The National says :—" It appears that the Eng-
lish who were invited to the soiree of the Prefect of the
Seine have worthily sustained the reputation of convivial
vigour, so generally attributed to their compatriots. If
we are well informed, they were about 300 in number;
and there were consumed 8,000 glasses of punch, and 800
bottles of champagne. Figures have their eloquence; and
prove that there are some sorts of combat in which our
rivals across the Channel are sure of victory."
It is a Piet worthy of notice, that, notwithstanding the
excitement on the question of the Navigation Laws
Repeal Bill, very few vessels are in the market for sale,
and those lately disposed of have brought very fair prices.
On inquiry, we find the cause of this state of things uni-
versally ascribed to the confidence felt that the bill will

not pass the Legislature, otherwise it is stated by compe-
tent judges there would have been a complete panic
amongst the holders of that description of property. It
is as well that her Majesty's Ministers should be made
aware of th;s fact, and more especially as it is of a cha-
racter which may induce the Cobden school to draw pre-
cisely an opposite inference.
PROGRESS OF DESTITUTION. —Th e Dublin Mail has the
following melancholy statement, illustrative of the spread
of destitution among all classes :—" We have heard from
competent authority, of three respectable Roman Catho-
lic priests, in a western county, being forced by necessity
to have their names placed upon relief lists ; we •ha
been informed, we believe truly, that
Protestant clergyman, who has been larg

a beneficed

with the distribution of relief, and who discharged the
trust with honour, has within the last few weeks petitioned
a relief association for permission to appropriate half a
ton of oatmeal confided to him to the purpose of saving
his children from starvation."
FEMALE OVERSEERS.—We announced last week that
the parishioners of Ackworth, in the West Riding, had
elected Miss Tempest, a. sister of Sir C. Tempest, to be
their overseer of the poor. We now learn from the Wor-
cester Journal that, in the Bridgnorth Union, the follow
ing ladies have been appointed :—For the parish of Bil-
lingsley, Margaret Benbow ; Eardington, Mary Oldbury ;
Stanton Long, Ann Bishop ; and Worfield, Mary Ni-
cholls; and, what makes it more singular, in every in-
stance male overseers are also appointed. "We suppose,"
says the Journal, " that there have been so many com-
plaints of the heart-heartedness of prior overseers b
total number of vessels built and I ladi

that it is for the purpose of giving them the op.por-

ration of the iufferinzs of the poor that they have been
pippfpa by the rvfnnav,ry of their r.cnpr.tiva r.orioileze

TRIAL OF A SOLICITOR AND HIS CLERK FOR FOR-
GERY.—Last week, at the Central Criminal Court, Mr.
John Cutts, a solicitor, in extensive practise, at Bardfield,
Essex, possessed of considerable landed property, and
proprietor of a pack of hounds, and William Evans, his
clerk, were charged with having feloniously forged and
uttered a receipt for £5O, with intent to defraud Edmund
Salmon. The prosecutor had employed Mr. Cutts as his
professional adviser in the purchase of some property.
Disputes afterwards arose between them. These led to
a suit in Chanceryl and ultimately the prosecutor charged
Mr. Cutts and his clerk with forgery. The case broke
down completely, and the jury, without troubling the
judge to sum up, returned a verdict of acquittal, adding,
that the prisoners left the court with unblemished charac-
ters. They were immediately discharged.
THE RUSH TO CALIFORNIA.—Somebody has furnished
us with the following dialogue, which occurred in this
town, a few days since between a shipowner and a stran-
ger—Stranger : " How much do you ask, Mr —, for
a cabin passage to California ?" Shipowner : " One hun-
dred dollars, cash down, in advance. But I can't take
you; all full in the cabin." Stranger : " Well, suppose
Igo in the hold, how much do you ask then ?" Ship-
owner: "Eighty dollars. But I can't take you. Hold
is full." Stranger: But can't I go in the fore-peak ?
What is the price of passage there ?" Shipowner :
" Eighty dollars ; but I can't take you. Full fore and
aft.' Stranger : Well, can't Igo aloft somewhere ? And
suppose I do, what will you charge ?" Shipowner : "We
charge eighty dollars to go anywhere; but can't carry
you aloft. Got to carry provisions there." Stranger :
' It's a hard case, isn't it. But as I want to go tolerably
bad, what will you charge to tow me ? The shipowner
retreated suddenly, and didn't make his appearance again
till the vessel had sailed.—Sandwich Island Polynesian.

AN. EXTRAORDINARY BAT.—The Lincolnshire Chron-
icle, in noticing the interment, on Thursday week, of the
remains of the Rev. Henry Chaplin, rector of Ryhall,
near Stamford, in the family vault at Blankney, says,—
" There are some curious tales afloat relative to a bat
which it is said inhabits this abode of the dead. From
what we can learn respecting this animal, it appears that
it was first caught and accurately examined at the funeral
of Mrs. Eliza Chaplin, the widow of the late possessor of
the Chaplin estates, but at this time inquiries were made
relative to the bat by persons who had a former knowledge
of its existence, and it is said to have been seen in 1816,
when the remains of the late Mr. Chaplin were interred.
In 1838 it was caught at the funeral of Frank Chaplin, Esq.,
and again at the funeral of Master Chaplin, on the 26tth
of January, in the present year. Should the account be
true of the existence of this bat so early as 1816, it has
been in the vault for a period of thirty-three years.
Parties who have seen it describe it as being of the
long-eared species, and of a very greyish colour. It
has been on one or two occasions brought into the
church, when it was thought that it would make its
escape, but it has each time preferred returning to be the
solitary companion of the dead, amid the darkness of the
ancient tomb."
RAPID DETECTION OF A PERSON CHARGED WITH
FORGERY.—Last week Andrew Adam Young, a young
man employed in the office of Mr. Bardner, writer, of
Dunfermline, presented a check, in his master's name, at
the local bank, for which he drew a sum of £490 in notes,
and immediately absconded. Information of the circum-
stance was sent to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other places,
and on Thursday morning last an intimation of the for-
gery was received at the Liverpool Police-office. Young
was said to be accompanied by an elderly man named
William Hay. Shortly after the information was received
here Hay was detected offering some of the notes at Mr.
Franklin's bullion-office, Lord-street. Further inquiries
led to the apprehension of Young, who was found at the
Railway Hotel, and notes to the value of £460 were found
on searching his luggage. Information of the detection
of the delinquent was immediately conveyed to the
authorities in Edinburgh by means of the electric tele-
graph. The time occupied after receiving the information,
apprehending the prisoners, &c., and making it known in
Edinburgh, was not more than two hours. Young left a
note on a desk at his lodgings, intending to convey the
impression that he was going t? California. The prisoner
Hay is a returned convict, having been transported some
years ago for fraudulent bankruptcy.
HIGHLAND BLOOD.—The chief engineer of one of the
Halifax steamers lately purchased by the Prussian govern-
ment was until recently a fine, stalwart Highlandman,
six feet two in stature, and strong in proportion to his
unusual height. One day, at Bremen, when our High.
lander was on deck, the commander of the new steam-
frigate brushed roughly and rudely past him. Resenting
the offence, the Scot threatened to knock down his
chief if the annoyance were repeated. The insult being
again offered, the commander was felled to the deck ac-
cordingly. A crowd of men assembled immediately, and
meditated a capture of our hero. He, however, armed
himself with a double-barrelled gun, and, until the consul
had been apprised oftheoccurrence, in his engine room kept
the whole dastardly crew at bay ; threatening to shoot
the man who attempted his capture. The affair then ter-
minated peaceably ; but the advice of the consul to save
himself from assassination by a speedy flight was wisely
adopted in good time by the gallant Highlandman. When
questioned whether he would really have shot his oppo-
nent, he replied, " Well, no ; but I would have just run
the gun barrel into the first 'who approached." While
referring to this incident we may mention a fart not vof

generally known ; namely, that the rescue of the Acadia,
when stranded at Ter Schelling, was entirely secured 'ay
the exertiuns,—the ability, indeed,—of her chief engineer,
a Scotchman, The Germans appear to be a crew of in-
capables.