The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-14 00:00:00

THE LETTER-WRITING DOUBLE X

Poor, unfortunate, neglected, unhappy William Rathbone
In what an excited and uncomfortable state must be thy
" organisation " ! Ejected from the council; no longer
permitted to brawl and fume and shriek forth thy elfish
notes in worshipful and aldermanic society ; no longer pri-
vileged to have thy crudities and impertinences conveyed to
the world gratis through the medium of the reporters, but
condemned—most miserable radical !—to resort to the scrib-
bling of letters, to satisfy the world that thou bast not yet
become quite innoxious—that the bitterness of thy temper
bas not yet all left thee—that, although not able to climb
into a position to strike at the bead of thy opponent, there
is still life enough left to enable thee to throw dirt at his
boots, or at the skirts of his coat.
Did you ever, reader, watch the struggles of an urchin
just breeched to scale a six-foot wall, or perform any other
feat in imitation of urchins of maturer age ? Did you ever
see Lord John Russell endeavouring to elevate himself to
the standard of manhood ? Did you ever hear a miserable
street ballad-singer endeavour to emulate the tones of Lab-
lache ? Did you ever see a village pedagogue swell himself
into the importance of a Newton or a Bacon? Did you ever
see a sparrow peck ati an eagle—a miserable cur whelp at the
lord of the forest—a donkey throw up its heels at the high-
mettled racer ? If you have seen or heard any of these ridi-
culous things, you have seen something which approaches to
the present position of Mr. William Rathbone, and which
resembles his recent unhappy efforts by his pen to force
himself once more into notoriety. if you have not, we de-
spair of conveying to von a notion of their ridiculous nature.

CORONER'S INQUEST UPON SIR PHILIP COURT-
NAY, BART. AT THE ALELPHI HOTEL.

On Saturday morning last, an inquest was held at the Adel-
phi Hotel, Ranelagh-place, before the coroner, upon the
body of Sir Philip Courtnay, Knight, who had that morning
been found dead in his bed—it was supposed from the effects
of poison. The inquest was adjourned until nine o'clock in
the evening, in order to give time for the post mortem ex-
amination being made of the body ; and it was further ad-
journed until three o'clock yesterday, in the expectation of
some of the deceased's friends being able to be present, and
to give evidence as to his general state of mind and habits
previous to the lamentable occurrence which resulted in his
death. _ .

By the evidence it appeared that the deceased, who was a
barrister, residing at Davenport, visited the Adelphi Hotel
about three weeks ago upon his way to Dublin, upon family
business, and returned after a few days absence, when be
wrote home, stating the result of his journey, and intimated
his intention of starting in a day or two afterwards to De-
vonport. He.was again, however, summoned to Dublin,
and on his return, having injured one of his legs accident-
ally, he acquainted his family of his intention to remain a
day or two longer in Liverpool for the benefit of his health.
On Friday evening he came home to the hotel rather late,
and retired to rest, and in the morning was found dead, as
we have before stated, from the effects of morphine, a bottle
which had contained this poison being found in his room.
From his youth, it appeared in evidence, the deceased had
been in the habit of taking anodynes ; and it had been told
him by his brother—a physician residentin London—that on
some occasion he would be incautiously injuring himself. On
the present melancholy occasion, the opinion of the jury was
that on his return, after entering his chamber, he had applied
himself to a bottle of morphine which he carried about with
him, and had swallowed a dose, from the effects of which he
had never awaken.
The unfortunate deceased had a son, who was lost with the
ill-fated ship President, which it was thought had affected his
spirits, but not in such a degree as to lead to the supposition
that his death had been any other than accidental.
The verdict of the jury was to the effect that the deceased
died from the effects of taking an overdose of morphine.
One of his sons was in Liverpool, but did not appear in the
inquest room.

On the morning of the Queen's confinement, Lord Hill
was amongst those who were summoned to attend at the
Palace. His lordship was rather late, and when he arrived
at the Palace he met the Duke of Wellington, who was re-
turning home. In answer to Lord Hill's inquiry as to how
matters were, his Grace said, " All over—fine boy, very fine
boy—almost red as you, Hill !"

LIBERTY OF THE PRESS IN SPAIN.—It appears that at
the present moment in Spain a public law officer is charged
to denounce all offences of the press to the "jury of accusa-
tion," and to conduct the prosecutions of any journals that
may be incriminated before the "jury of judgment." The
fees of this officer are paid out of the fines to which the jour-
nals are condemned. A law officer performing these func-
tions, M. C. Nocedal, has just given in his resignation, and
has addressed a letter on the subject to the Corresponsal, of
which the following is an extract :—" At the moment of
quitting my post I can at least boast of having obtained some
results worthy of ray political friends. The Cangrejo, over-
whelmed by the weight of my requisitories, has ceased to
exist; the Huracan is dead as a journal, in consequence of
my prosecutions ; and the Correo Nacional itself, though
supported and franked in its expenses by the principal leaders
of the moderate party, has been unable to publish a number
to-day, for want of a responsible editor."—Galignani.
Doctor Lardner is now creating a great sensation in all
our fashionable and scientific circles. Some attack him on
principles of morality, and others defend him on principles
of astronomy. The issue can be easily defined—it will fill
his lecfure-room, and leave the moral questions as unsettled
as the north-eastern boundary. A tew months after the
arrival of the Doctor with Mrs. Heaviside in this country,
they were married in Philadelphia, under a law of Pennsyl-
vania. The issue of this marriage has been a fine fat girl.
It seems also that all the property in his English copy-rights
has been swallowed up by the verdict given to Captain Hea-
viside. He has, therefore, been reduced to the necessity of
working or starving—for it seems Mrs. H., now Mrs. L.,
has no property, except a contingency on a death hereafter.
Of course Doctor L. prefers hard work at every risk.—New
York Herald.
" WHAT A SHOCKING BAD HAT!"—The origin of this
singular saying, which made fun for the metropolis for
months, is not involved in the same obscurity as that which
shrouds the origin of Quoz, and some others. There had
been a hotly contested election for the borough of South-
wark, and one of the candidates was an eminent hatter. This
gentleman, in canvassing the electors, adopted a somewhat
professional mode of conciliating their good-will, and of
bribing them without letting them perceive that they were
bribed. Whenever he called upon or met a voter whose hat
was not of the best material, or being so, had seen its best
days, he invariably said, " What a shocking bad hat you
have got; call at my warehouse and you shall have a new
one !" Upon the day of election this circumstance was
remembered, and his opponents made the most of it, by
inciting the crowd to keep up an incessant cry of " What a
shocking bad hat !" all the time the honourable candidate
was addressing them. From Southwark the phrase spread
over all London, and reigned for a time the supreme slang of
the season.—Mackay's Popular Delusions.

SALE OF THE HENBURY ESTATE, S.:c.—On Wednesday
last, the Henbury Hall estate was submitted to public auc-
tion, at the Macclesfield Arms Hotel, by Mr. Winstanley.
The first bid offer was by Major Marsland, of £50,000; there
were several other bidders tendered, but the highest was
£51,500 by the same gentleman. It was then declared by
the auctioneer, that the reserved bid was £60,000; and as
no one offered that sum, the lot was withdrawn. The second
lot offered was the Life Interest in a sum of £30,000. For
this there was a large competition, and it was knocked down
at £9,000, a sum exceeding it was said, byXl,6OO, the reserved
bid. The remaining lot was a Policy of Insurance for
£5,000; this realised £1,370. These two lots, we are glad
to state, were purchased by the friends of the family imme-
diately interested therein. A sale of Henbury Hall, with the
Manor and Estate, comprising nearly 1,000 acres, has since
been completed for the snm of .C 58,000 ; and we congratulate
our neighbours that the purchaser is Major Marsland, the
late worthy M.P. for the unworthy borough of Stockport.
We have reason to believe that Major Marsland intends to
make Henbury Hall his future residence. The price realised
by the sale of this estate will fully cover the cost incurred by
its respected owner, Mr. Kyle.—Macclesfield Courier.

ROMAN CATHOLIC OUTRAGE AT ST. LUClA.—Another of
those disgraceful scenes, unfortunately of too frequent oc-
currence in this colony, arising out of the license given by
the executive government to the public display of the absurd
ceremonies practised by the foreign catholic priests, took
place in the village of Micond last week. During two or
three days the utmost confusion existed ; a riotous as-
semblage took place ; acts of great violence were com-
mitted ; and all this caused by congregating the people, and
drawing the peasantry from their proper occupations to wit-
ness the admission of some six or eight neophytes, old
negro women, into the bosom of the Roman Catholic
Church. A great concourse of idle people, from different
parishes, assembled in the little village of Micoud ; and it
appears by the evidence taken before a bench of justices who
investigated the affair, that a Mrs. De Brossard, who resides
in the village, imagined she overheard two women discussing
some plan that was in contemplation by sonic young men
from a distant parish, to attack the priest. Full of the

portance of this discovery, she went to inform his reverence,
Abbe Piacintini, who is a Corsican, and, after the manner of
his country, upon hearing of the intended attack, it is said he
armed himself with pistols, and with a glittering poiguard in
his hand rushed into the street, announcing to his flock that he
was threatened with assassination. The alarm spread like
wildfire, and immediately all the old women communicants
tucked up their petticoats, armed themselves with sticks, and
formed a body-guard to protect their pastor ; scouts were
also despatched to seek the assistance of the justice of
the peace, Toraille, who, on receiving the information of
the emeule, blew his conch shell, and assembled all the
labourers in his neighbourhood as a posse comitatis, and
having buckled on his sword and pistols, he put himself at
their head, and rushed to the field of action. There the
first man he saw was a labourer of the name of Louison, who
was acting as a sentinel at the door of the priest's house,
to prevent the intrusion of the supposed assassins ; but the
justice, mistaking the functions of the innocent Louison,
attacked the poor man, and, with a blow of his " long sword,"
felled him to the earth ; and this was a signal to his follow-
ers to tall upon the prostrate victim, who was within an
ace of being immolated on the threshold of the Christian
pastor. We learn that Mr. Richardson subsequently af-
forded assistance to the man, and by bleeding him recalled
him to life. Two or three other persons were more or less
wounded, but fortunately other justices of the peace ap-
peared upon the scene, and through their exertions further
bloodshed was prevented ; but it was not without the aid of
a strong body of special constables peace was ultimately
restored, and the affair judicially investigated. The whole
disorder turned out to have originated in the ridiculous
report made to the priest, and his ignorance of the difference
of manners between his native Corsica and a little West
Indian village. There is to be a government investigation
into this ridiculous but tragical affair.—St. Lucia Indepen-
dent Press.