The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-12-23 00:00:00

calomel, however, it invariably happens that a small portion of
corrosive sublimate is formed with it, hut the corrosive sub-
limate may' he separated by washing with hot water, as water
dissolves the corrosive sublimate but not the calomel. Mu- .
riate of ammonia was formerly recommended for the purpose of
removing the corrosive sublimate, but it is now kuown that,
although this will dissolve corrosive sublimate, it will form
another portion. We may make. the • bischloriCle of mercury,
but less conveniently, by. the direct action.of chlorine upon lie
mercury, for if we heat mercury in. chloriva it will burn,
although we oauuot burn it under ordivarf circumstances:
We may also buin it with the voltaic battery, but not with a
common fire, because it escapes in a state .of vapour. The
sulpburets of mercury are also important substances. We have
two of them, one of which was known at an earlypeviod.
Cinna-
bar, or vermillion, is described by Isaiah as being used as a Pig-
ment in his time. 'fheciphrastus likewise mentions it in his works.
The only difference_ between sulphuret and bi-sulphuret con-
sists in the difference of sulphur employed ; we: have. 200 parts
mercury combining with 16 parts sulphur, and 32 parts'sttlphur.
The proto-sulphuret may be made by triturating for souse time ,
the mercury and sulphur, until all the globules disappear. This
is, however, an unsciantific mode of doing it. The:better mode
will be to mix the sulphur and mercury, in a ladle, and, to heat
them, but here without great care the sulphur and -tnercury will
:escape. The best way is to pass a current of sulphuretted hydro-
gen through mercury, and then, we have it. The per sulphate of
mercury or vermillion is.sometimes obtained direct from the ore.
The Chinese method, by Which they make very beautiful cinnabar,
is to distil the ore with iron. We make it in England by mix-
ing mercury and sulphur, and then subliming them, after which it'
is carefully dried and ground to powder. We have two nitrates of
mercury, as well as two sulphurets of mercury. The proto-
nitrate may be made by adding the mercury to the acid with-
out heating it, but if we heat it, the compound will be a per-
nitrate. Copper will precipitate the mercury from solution irt
the nitrates. In addition to this we may apply sulphurettecl
hydrogen. The hydriedate of potass will give us .a very beauti.,
ful crimson precipitate. The Ferro,cyanuret of potassium, and
tincture of gallsovill each give a dirty green or English. white,
and the chromateofpotass will give aprecipitate of a red colour.
A very remarkable compound of mercury, called fulminating
mercury, has lately been extensively used; it was first intro-
duced by Howard. It is made by mixing 100 grains of mer-
cury with l ounces of nitric acid; when the mercury is dis-
solved we add two ounces of strong alcohol very slowly, as
otherlise considerable effervescence would take place. In a
very short time a black powder precipitates : we are then to wash
this precipitate with large quantities of waier, and to dry it by a
temperature not exceeding that of a steam heat, otherwise
explosion may take place ; as it is a dangerous substancejo
handle, detonating with. a fearful explosion, small quantities
only should be experimented upon. This substance is now used
in the manufacture of percussion caps; at first chlorate the of •
potass an I sulphur, with a small.quantity of charcoal left. after
gunpowder has been washed, was employed for this purpose. It .`
was found, however, that the metal of the nipple was converted
into a sulphuret, unless platina was employed, and therefore
the fulminating mercury was substituted, which explodes as
readily as the other compound without injuring the -nipple. The
cap beingplaced on the nipple and struck, explodes and fires
• the gunpowder in the barrel.
To-morrow evening Mr. Hemming terminates his course.

TO JOSEPH WALMSLEY, ESQ.,
Corn Merchant and -Town Councillor—Patron of St. Luke's •
Church—Chairman of the Watch Committee—Head of the Con-
stahulary Department—Factotum of the Reformed Council—
Chairman of the Tradesmen's Reformed Association—Author
of the eelebratedWurk entitled " What have the Council done ?"
Src., Brc.
DEAR JOSHUA,—Times have sadly changed with us, that
is, with you and me. We are old school-fellows, but our
acquaintance has ceased for some time. You are now a great
man, a very great man; and, as I could not for the world.
ventuue to speak to you now, (although you were my fag when
you were " a bit of a snivelling lad,") I take this Method of
laying one or _two grievances before you, because I am sure,
from your übiquity, that you are the man to redress them.--
I hear of you everywhere—the most diligent man at all
tavern dinners, even the murky atmosphere and sulphuric
smells of Scotland-road and Vauxhall cannot
,prevent youri •
patriotism. You are most vigilant in the character of inspector
at all dram-shops, and your super-human exertions have done •
much towards the amendment of public mom's, for which the
public are deeply indebted to you. I fear theywill not show •
you much gratitude, and that when you have done your best
they will be uncivil enough to say that you have been an un-
profitable servant. But to the point. You must know, dear
Joshua, that Mrs. Smith would.have a bit of a box down on the
North Shore, just beyond yogi house; last Summer, and, after
we left the shop at night, we used to go
_ down there to sleep ;•
but our passage along the footpath of Great Howard-street was ,
regularly disputed by droves ,of those household animals, re-
gularly called pigs, urged forwards by, stalvmrth fellows,
" mighty an' decent." and armed with long gkciuiens of
" the finest pisantry," and not t 9 be spoken to without danger. ;
Mrs. Smith has already had two pelisses spoiled by these
and her last green boots turned quite another colony by the
ordure on the footpath, so that at last we have.sported a one-
horse shay, and, about two days ago, for the first.time in my
life, I took the reins into my hands, a thing my wife never per-
mitted the to do before, and we arrived in safety at Bootle.
But the next morning we were, coming to ope,a shop pretty •
early, and such threading, and crossing, . and .shouting, and
whipping had we to get through the coal carts by the canal
that I have almost resolved to send the pony to Lucas's and
give up the cottage altogether. One cart was in the middle of
the street, and when I asked the mail to " shift" he shouted out,
"go look!" Another.was in the off4bannel, and I was obliged
to cross the street and pass him on the wrong side. One.
driver was half a mile behind his cart, and another had no
driver at all.
I do assure you my dear Joshua that a voyage to the Polar
Seas is not halt so dangerous as a journey to Bootle. I have
some idea of imitating you, and turning author, and writibg a
volume of my travels to and from Bootle: only I shall not let the
Public have•my book gratis, as,you have so liberally done. My
wife has asked me a hundred times of what use are the new day
Police? and I declare I cannot give her a satisfactory answer. •
Perhaps it is, that they are yet young hands at their business,—
and three fourths of them being Irishmen and Papists, we must
not be too hard upon them, as they are what Mrs. Wigging our
neighbour calls "a hignorant set."
lily wife' thinks that if Mrs.Walmsleywtnt that way home, the'. --
carters and the pigs would be refeimea; but as that lady usually •
goes by the way of the North Free School, it is better to let
.yott
know our grievance at once.
Things in general are looking.up,—the 'money market is fir-
mer,—and Goines has been defeated. The kuttling Conserva-
tives are aettog and drinking all over, the country,—thele
nothing to read about but Tory feeds and Tory gatherings mall
directions. But pshaw ! the nasty bigots are nearly extinct, '
and another election or two like our last municipal, will exitn-
guish them quite. Rathbone has behaved himself very civilly•
of late. Lloyd's list has been heavy. Cajeput is a drug atpre,
sant. Lords Melbourne and Johnny of course dine with us at.
the Amphitheatre one of these days. Capital job that new road
along the shore will be for your property and mine, and the great-
'public convenience too. It has been long wanted, and Squire
Leigh ought to have had it done sooner. Peas steady. Barley.
is enquired after, and several sales have been made at the last
quotation. I thought a little information on these matters would'
be serviceable to you, as you are so very much engaged in pdb-
lic matters that you are not often to be'found at your office. •
I am, dear Joshua, your faithful friend,
JOHN SMITH.—No. 2096. •
N.B.—Dont forget what I have said about the carts and the.
pigs. If, should summon use before the Watch board I can
prove all I have told you. , .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL, ST4ND..4RD.
SIR,—I perceived in your paper of Tuesday arieeiPaii. the.
cure of the tooth-ache, which you treated lightly. Being afflicted'
at the time with it, and having been so far a length of time, I
determined to try the slaked lime, and I found the pain leave
almost immediately. For the sake of the thousands that suffer
by it, I give my name and address, and I shall feel happy in
affording any information I can.-1 am, yours very thankfully,
GEO. WATSON, Cabinet-maker, Lime-street.
Liverpool, December 22, 1836. = • =

THE TH EATRE-ItO YAL.
The French company of actors do not appear to " take" with
the Liverpool audience. We confess we are not much surprised
at this. The pieces performed have been of a most trumpery
character in themselves--as. pieces, barren of incident and
plot, ar.d abounding only in long coneersatiops, interlarded
with an occasional bon nail and jets &esprit. I laidpovrty of
amusing requisites, in the ground-work,
has little from the
representation. The whole corps, with the exception of M.
Bernard. are of very mediocre talent. M. Bernard himself is
the soul of the corps, and is really. possessed of very consider-
able comic powers. Signor Saxon' and. Miss Adelaide O'Bryatt
have delighted each evening by their beautiful and elegant
dancing. The house bas.been but thinly attended, but the au-
dience has been generally select. On Monday evening Mr.
Forrest cOraminces.his engagement with the play of "Othello," •
characterwhich par tvrhhei
firstkes ,varied Mr.
him in
andra Stuart, we believe, appears in the
public
estimation in Liver-
pool-4s logo. This, we expect, will prove a high treat. She-
ridan Knowles' play, " The: Wreckerla Daughter," has been
brought out at Manchester, for the first time, we, belieVe in any
provincial theatre, arid has proved highly successful. The Man-
chester papers contain long critiques of the play itself as well
as,of the performance. It has been announced for repetition
each night during the week. We are glad to hear that .our
favourites, Miss.Faucit and Mr. Stuart, have proved successful
in their debut in this piece, in the principal eharaetets: Miss
Faucit, as Marian, has taken ironnd in one of the most difficult
characters ever drawn b.Y.the author. The Manche.4ter papers
have given a verbal criticism cif this- lady's style of speaking,
occasionally in an affected tone end manner. This has been
noticed by the Liverpool audience, and with the hand of friend-
ship we have, by noticing, endeavoured to induce this promising
actress to amend it, We can easily imagine that if her affecta-
tion of manner should prove offensive, by running counter to,
the spirit of the character, that in Mcinchester it would be doubly,,.
so. Mr. Stuart has preserved his acknowledged station, and
has met witlkgreat Applause in his representation of the charac.
ter of Robert, the "wrecker." We shall be anxious to see the
piece brought out here. . • ,

PREFERMENT.—The Rev. T. G. James, 13. A , of Brazening.
College, Otford, has been appointed to the Incumbency of the.
Church of the Holy. Trinity within Habergham Eaves, in-the
Chapelry of BurnlY, in the nomination of the Vicar of Whalley,
A SaLF-DEVOTED ARCHITECT.—The chapter-hall (of the mo-
nastery of Batalha, about 60 miles north of Lisbon), which you
.enter by the southeast cloister, is accounted a great curiosity.
being very extensive, immensely lofty, and supported only by -
its outer walls, without a single column or pillar. They have a
singular tradition attached to this noble building • twice was it
built, twice roofed in;.and twice, when the scaffolding was re-
moved, the walls gave way, and it became one heap of ruins ;
but the architect would not be thus foiled in his magnificent un-
dertaking. A third time the Walls were raised, the richly groined
roof rising spirally at its centre once more united them ; all the
best energies of the spirit which had conceived, and the perse-:
Yerauce which had yet again produced the work, had been
hausted in the undertaking ; and Alphonso Donaingues, after
having surveyed, with mingled pride and dread, the lordly pile
he had reared, swore that if a third time his skill failed, he
would not survive the disgrace, but find a grave'arriong itsturns. •
Iu vain was he dissuaded from what was universal) 'considered
an act of voluntary immolation ; he walked cobalt() the centre ,
Whit h &teed," Per-
of the hall; he issued his directions with arl Pufa telineeicei
portion by portion he saw the mighty beanie,
h b t eeu him and a painful revolting death, reiadveif by
aps, e w , tire last prop Wd"
his reluctant assistants ; at length drawn away,'
and many covered their eves
.with their
hands to shut out the
miserable spectacle; but there,was no necessity for the precau-
tion : the, architect stood unarmed and secure: his inighty •ivozk.
was above and around him, vast, magnificent, and wonderful—
a memorial of his undying genius. It is asserted that King.
Sohn was so charmed by the spirit and daring of the heroic Do-
, illgues, that he commanded him td place within the hall sense
commemoration of the (keel:, With a modesty equalled only-by
his genius, the architect obeyed;
and a small figure, not exceed-
ing a foot in length, is seen iu the act f
o 'supporting a portion of ,
-the edifice where the roof touchesbn the north is are-,
presentation of Alphonso Domingues.—Miss Pardoe's-J,Traits
and Traditiwu of Portugal,. .„ ~.• .• •
_ .