The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-07-07 00:00:00

THE COMMERCIAL BANK,

(From our Correspondent.)
MANCHESTER, MONDAY EVENING.—From what has
transpired of the proceedings at the meeting of the share-
holders of the above bank, on Friday last, it appears, that
in consequence of the proposed arrangements with Messrs.
Barnett, Hoare and Co. not having been successful, nor yet
those made by the Bank of England, the shareholders re-
solved on meeting the difficulties in which the establishment
was placed by advancing among themselves something like a
just proportion to the shares held by each proprietor. One
gentleman offered a loan, or whatever else it may be desig-
nated, of £lO,OOO, and several others £5,000 each ; and,
from the temper of the meeting, it is confidently anticipated
that a sufficient sum will be raised among themselves, forth-
with, to place not only the public completely out of danger,
but also to carry on the affairs of the bank and its branches
as usual. An advertisement has appeared in the Manchester
papers, stating that the banks will shortly be able to resume
business. Notwithstanding the deputation went to London
with the determination not to ask aid of the Bank of England,
it did, however, ' seek such aid, after the offers made to
Messrs. Barnett and Co. were declined. The conditions,
however, which the Bank of England were desirous to im-
pose, were such as to induce the deputation to decline the
proffered advance : and as the meeting yesterday coincided
with the views taken by the deputation, an advance by the
various shareholders was decided upon.

Another meeting of the shareholders took place on Satur-
day, but nothing of importance transpired. The Manches-
ter and Salford Advertiser of the 4th inst. contains a list of
the proprietors, 588 in number. It is eminently calculated
to allay the apprehensions, if any exist, of such as may have
any claims upon the bank ; as there would be no difficulty
in selecting one or two individuals from the list, who, in the
estimation of the public, could without inconvenience liqui-
date the notes of the establishment. The following brief
statement of the general location of the proprietors may not
be uninteresting. There reside in Manchester and Salford
about SO ; Blackburn 54 ; Newport (Salop) 35 ; Chester 30 ;
Ludlow 26 ; Leeds 31 ; Potteries 24 ; Whitckurch 13 ; Bir-
mingham 13 ; Ashburne 12; Huddersfield 12 ; Skipton 15 ;
Shrewsbury, &c. 14 ; Halifax 11 ; Rochdale 9 ; Burnley 8 ;
Bury 6 ; London 6 ; Chorley 4 ; Preston 3 ; Wakefield 3 ;
Worcester 3 ; Ashton, &e. 4 ; &c. &c.

EXTRAORDINARY MATRIMONIAL ADVEN-
TURES OF A PRETENDED LORD.

On Monday last, at the Durham Sessions, Robert Taylor,
one of the most impudent impostors that we ever remember
to have heard of, was tried for polygamy. We extract from
the Northern Time* the following account of the trial :
THE RIGHT HON. LORD KENNEDY ALIAS ROBERT TAYLOR

(AN IMPOSTOR) ON A CHARGE OF BIGAMY.
On this case being called on much merriment was created
in the court, which was much crowded, and great curiosity
was manifested to catch a glance of " his lordship," as he
took his place in the dock. " His lordship," on appearing,
had a very self-complacent grin on his countenance, and
seemed greatly amused with the novelty of his situation, and
the curiosity that had been excited to behold this singular,
vulgar, ignorant, but successful impostor. lie gazed round
the court, laughed at the spectators, and seemed to relish his
" own thoughts " with great satisfaction, occasionally turn-
ing up his ugly thick red lips, and distorting his ill-shaped
nose with the most " lordly contempt." Altogether, his con-
duct was more disgusting than amusing, and though the laugh
was often both loud and general, yet few there were who wit-
nessed this impudent impostor's grimaces but would have
readily assisted in exposing his unmanly, vulgar, and ill-fea.
tured countenance in the pillory. On being arraigned and
called upon to plead, " his lordship " said, in a loud sneering
tone, that he was "not guilty."
Mr. Granger then rose and stated the case for the prosecu-
tion. The learned counsel said that the indictment charged
the prisoner at the bar, Robert Taylor, with the crime of
bigamy, an offence against society which was justly punishable
under the criminal law. The prisoner was charged with
having married Mary Davidson, at Acklam, near Middles-
bro', in the county of York, having been previously married
to Mary Ann Scudmore, at St. Philip's Church, Birming-
ham, in July, '3B, which wife was now living. The prisoner
went to Birmingham, and gave out that ho the natural
son of a late Lord Kennedy, of Ashby-hall, near Ashby de la
Zouch, in the county of Leicester, and had represented himself
as entitled to great wealth, some £60,000 and upwards per
annum. To give countenance to these monsterous imposi-
tions, he had a number of strange docuniieienhts, which he
carried about with him in a tincase
Lord Kennedy, otherwise Robert
rl'a onylowr " lw,haessem yokceud-
mei!ts purported to •be the will of this late Lord Kennedy,
copies of the will, certificates of guardianship, and other
papers, to assist him in his fraudulent designs. The learned
gentleman read short extracts from these papers, and also
from the will, which " gave and bequeathed to Robert
Taylor, the son of Elizabeth Taylor, the sum of one million
and fiften thousand pounds and No MORE !! ! three per
cent. consols (loud laughter) four coal-pits, some ships,
&c." The prisoner had, at Birmingham, become acquainted
with a person named John Wood, who would be called be-
fore the jury, and after inducing this person to believe his
representations regarding himself and his great wealth,
had expressed himself as very desirous to be married. He
offered a reward of ten pounds to any person who would
-introduce him to a nice, handsome, modest, pious young
girl, who was agreeable to marry him, and in consequence

him (Tayl

of his statements, John Wood had tak
the house of Benjamin Scudmore, in Birmingham, for tht
Purpose of being affianced to the daughter of Scudmore.
The object of the visit having been explained to Benjamin
Reudthore. a-nd the great wealth and titles of the prisoner
.. - -,:-.. 'lf the said Benjamin, " his lord-

.e 7 J brought and

!ed to Miss M
y Kennedy."

Inn, who

ship". was next introduc
sented to become " Lad;
been raised by the Scud. re I
marriage licence and a rink w-
the parties were married (11
Philip's Church, Birmingham, in the presence of John
and his wife, and some members of the Scud--
The learned counsel said he should
Wood, whom he should call as
riage the prisoner lived with his wilt
family, for about six weeks, when
had seen nothing of him since
his apprehension at Hetton, by
rural police, on another charge of
the discovery of this marriage.
the prisoner had visited differ
tising his deceptions, and " i /181.111,
known at Hetton, where he had lived for
time upon the credulity of such perso.-

prem.(
m the -

Tut pa

'bout 'with -I)im hymn-bat

caving

Ingo, of t

:s of thecou

famous misrepresentations
purity of life—carried
pledges, anti-

s believed hi
1 great piety

ehings in the Primitive Methodist Conn
last Octo

at a class-

quainted with ay

in Newc

Anii Wilso.

who was married to him
October, at St. John's

Ile 19th

e his wife

at Birmingham, the unfortunate victim at N
soon abandoned, and " his lordship" betook h_______
neighbourhood of Berton again, and thence to the
of Stockton, where his deep piety recommended him to tl
Attention and friendship of a person in the Ranter Conned
tion, named Benjamin Fryer. He expressed great anxiet
to be married to a pious female of " handsome" appearance

friend,

female will
the chance,

though

ingly agreed to introduce " his lordship
They went together to Acklam, near Stockton,
pose, and arrived at the house of Thomas Davidson, tak.,_
in-law to the " reverend" Ranter preacher, about 4 o'clock
on the 3rd of April, when he was shewn to one of David-
son's daughters. The young lady w-
" lordship's" fancy, and he decline,
serving " that he did not like her loop
lively for him—not of a serious turn e
sister was then brought under Is-
:4_,_th to be

to his wi

1 this 'V

The oth

married was obtained during thC night, the parties
next day, the 4th of April, to Acklam Church, where
were married by banns, by the Rev. Isaac Benson,

dvanced for this purpose, al
-nin Fryer, the

).reward offered for obtain.: