The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-10-06 00:00:00

DOMESTIC IN'TELLIGEN'CE.

Amongst the company present at one of the promenades
of the British Association at Glasgow, was the Contessina
Amerigo Vespucci, a lineal descendant of the original dis-
coverer of America.

There is no truth in the paragraph going the round of the
newspaper press, that " 300 officers of the excise have been
discharged within the last month, in consequence of dispen-
sing with permits for tobacco." The fact is, that not one
officer has been or will be discharged.—Lincoln Gazette.
It is worthy of remark that at the late Hereford Musical
Festival, only two foreign vocalists were engaged, and at Hull
there were but three. We do not mention these facts from

any illiberal feeling toward foreigners, but simply to show
that a taste for English music, and a more general disposition
to encourage native artistes are now prevalent.
The following race horses were on Wednesday shipped for
Russia, on board the Manchester. from the stables of Mr. D.
Russell, Black Horse Inn, Carr-lane. They were the pro-
perty of Mr. Kirkby of York :—The Alderman, Resolution,
Narcissus, Rose Bradwardine, Ant, Remedy, Tivy, Lalla
Rookh, Juvenile, Marchioness, Filly by Huntingdon.—Hull
Rockingham.
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A memorial to Lord Lichfield, the postmaster general, is
now in course of signature. at the Manchester Exchange, its
prayer being that his lordship would be pleased to establish a
receiving-box for letters in that establishment, now that the
post-office is removed into Brown-street. This, if granted,
will be a great convenience, as there are nearly 2000 sub-
scribers to the room.

GRACE DARLING.—Many inquiries having been made
respecting the moneys raised for Grace Darling and others
who assisted at the wreck of the Forfarshire steam-boat, we

have authority to state that £7-t2 16s. 6d. stock have been
vested in the funds for Grace, in the names of the Duke of
Northumberland, the Rev. W. N. Darnell, Archdeacon

Thorp, and Archdeacon Singleton ; £216 Its. 7d. has been
paid to William Darling, and £27 to each of the seven
boatmen.—Newcaslle Journal.

The distemper amongst cattle is now very prevalent in this
part of the kingdom. At Butley-cum-Newton, near Prest-
bury, a firmer has had all his cows so dreadfully affected by
it that he has for some time been under the necessity of de-
stroying all the milk drawn from them. In another part of
Cheshire the disease has assumed so horrible an appearance,
that, upon giving the cows' milk to the pigs they were all
poisoned. At one farmhouse the milk of upwards of twenty
cows had so diseased an aspect that it was thrown away. The
tongues of the animals are horribly black, and their hoofs
dreadfully diseased. We have heard of many sheep being
affected in a similar manner. A person of Deanrow, Wilms-
low, has lost a cow by it very recently.
MINING 1.. Dgunvsninu.—At the present junction, the
lead mines in the peak of Derbyshire, especially those situate
at Wirksworth, Cromford; Matlock, and Winster, are in full
employ ; besides, a great many persons are also busy in turn-
ing over hillocks or old works, supposed not to have been
disturbed since the Romans held sway in this island. The
lead market presents the greatest activity, which is chiefly to
be attributed to the heavy orders received for this article from
France, there being nearly a total absence of Spanish lead.
This branch of commerce is upon the advance, being now
worth £2l per ton.
On Wednesday morning Mr. M`Wieland, a gentleman re
siding in Gower-street, Bedford-square, arrived from Bir-
mingham by the snail train, at Euston Grove. having hired
a cab to convey himself and luggage to his residence, he placed
a small box containing property to the amount of £7OO. on
the seat of the cab. After paying the driver (who had quitted
nearly ten minutes), he recollected he had not removed the
box. He immediately hastened to the cab rank in Seymour-
street, where he found the cab and driver waiting for another
fare. On opening the cab door, to his agreeable surprise he
found the box and its contents in the place he had put it.—
Standard.

OPERATIVES' CONSERVATIVE BANQUET AT WALS:p.L.
On Wednesday evening the first annual dinner of the W alsa
Operatives' Conservative Association took place in the large
room of the Blue Coat and National School of that town,
which was beautifully fitted up and adorned for the occasion.
Abort 300 gentlemen were present, and the festival was pre-
sided over by H. C. Windle, Esq. Amongst the company
were Lord Ingestre, Lord Bradford, Lord Newport, John
James Esq., C. Brooke, Esq., the Rev. W. Downes, &c.
The toasts usually given on such festive reunions were en-
thusistically honoured upon this occasion, and a genuine
conservative feeling evidently pervaded the breasts of all
assembled on this first anniversary of an association, which,
we doubt not, will spread itself as rapidly in Staffordshire as
similar associations have extended themselves, in endless
ramifications, throughout the greater part of the kingdom.
MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.—During the course of last
week an incident occurred in this county which has a strik-
ing resemblance to the recent mysterious and bloody affair at
Ludlow. In one respect, indeed, it is even more mysterious,
for it took place in a private house. The facts, as we are
informed, run as follows :—A gentleman from Shrewsbury,
who had been spending the afternoon at the house of a friend
in the parish of Pontesbury, retired at the usual hour to seek
" Nature's kind restorer, balmy sleep." He did not turn to
his pillow in vain, for he enjoyed immediate and undisturbed
repose until about six o'clock the next morning, when he
suddenly awakened by feeling a hand heavily pressing upon
his breast. Starting up, he was astonished at finding that
this hand belonged to a man standing by the bed side, without
any other covering upon him than his shirt, while his other
hand wielded a razor. No time was lost in starting up and
challenging the intruder. He did not attempt to run away,
but exclaimed, with the utmost non-chalence, " Come, get
up ! I said that I would call you at six, and here's a razor, if
you want to shave.—Salopian Journal.
SUSPICIOUS-LOOKING VESSEL.—The following is a copy
of a report made by Captain Clark. of the American barque
Mary, of Baltimore, forwarded by her Britannic Majesty's
consul at Pernambuco, to Lloyd's :—"The American barque
Mary, Captain Clark, from Baltimore, on her passage to
Pernambuco, fell in with a suspicious-looking vessel in lat. 5
N., long. 27 W. She was a large hermaphrodite brig, painted
black with a narrow read streak, mounting four carronades
and a pivot gun. She chased the Mary several hours, and
fired at her until she hove to, and, indeed, once afterwards.
She hailed in Spanish and broken English, ordering the
Mary to take in sail, and on being asked What she wanted ?'
answered That is no business of yours ;' and that he should
send his boat on board. Captain Clark thinks there were
about fifty men on board. A ship and a barque from the
south heaving in sight at the same time, standing towards, us,
caused him AO ntekc Sall -in the opposite direction,- -without
boarding the Mary. When first seen at daylight, the stran-
ger had nothing set but fore-spencer, but instantly made all
sail on discovering the Mary."
MONSTROUS !—A correspondent tells us that " a fellow of
unbounded stomach," whose name we understand is Stand •
ing Sharpies, yesterday performed the feat of devouring at
one sitting the following trifles quart of coffee, two
pounds of bread and butter, seven pounds of potatoe pie, and
one quart of ale ! The exhibition took place at White Birk,
and in the course of it the person performed a most disgust-
ing interlude, for which we think he ought to be put in the
stocks. By the by, as a specimen of the pretty stuff which
we are sometimes doomed to decipher, we beg to present our
readers with a verbatim extract from a communication sent
to us about this disgusting affair. Here it is :—" 1 quart of
Coffey 2 pound of Bred and Butter 7 pound of pratay Pey."
(Here occurred the interlude of what we spoke.) " 1 quart
of Ale If aney man thinks the Can mend that the Most
aply to Wite Barck Crofters."—Blackburn Standard.
A WELSH EJECTMENT.—It was formerly said that a Welsh
ejectment meant kicking an obstinate tenant out of posses-
sion, but the following recent transaction chews that an
alteration has taken place in the law.
,A sawyer who had
been working in the harvest at a farmers in Montgomery-
shire, tired with hard'reaping, and drowsy from the effects of
strong beer, tailed to reach home at night, and crept into the
outbuilding of another person who lived by the way side.
Some servant boys, who rose before day to go to a neigh-
bouring fair, were alarmed at the presence of the stranger,
and run into the house to inform au ill-looking masculine
servant wench of the circumstance. This dulcineer, who
had probably heard of the method of starting Irish posthorses
with a red hot poker, thought hot water would dislodge the
unwelcome intruder, and rushed out with a pitcher full of
the stimulating liquid, which she discharged upon the carcass
of the luckless sawyer. The thickness of his smock frock
saved his hide from scalding, but not from such a warming
as caused him to start off at score, swearing to put some sub-
stantial marks of gratitude on the peerless lady's log, the
first time he may happen to meet with her—Salopian Journal.
DEATH OF MARSHAL MACDONALD.—MarshaI Mac-
donald, Due de Tarente, died on the 25th September, at his
domain of Courcelles, near Orleans, aged seventy-five. He
is well known to have been of the Scotch family of the Mac-
donalds. He entered the. French service, as Lieutenant, in
1783. He was Colonel at Jemappes, and became General on
passing the Waal when it was frozen. He was severely
wounded at the battle of the Trebbia, where he commanded
in 1799. His friendship for Moreau brought him into dis-
grace with the Emperor. Yet he conquered his marshal's
staff at Wagrain by his successful attack on the Austrian
centre. Ile commanded the 10th corps in the Russian cam-
paign. He sprung into the river Elster, at Leipsic, with
Poniatowski, but, more fortunate than the Pole, escaped. In
1815, he refused to serve either Napoleon or the Bourbons.
Yet, on his refusing to serve under the Duke of Berry, the
latter said, " You would not give such a refusal to Napoleon."
" Whether I would or not," replied the Marshal, " your.
Royal Highness is not Napoleon."
IMPORTANT TO SICK AND BURIAL SOCIETIES.—At the
Stockport police court on Monday, William Wilks, president
of a sick and burial society held at the Sun Inn. Market-
place, Stockport, was summoned by Stephen Carpenter, a
member of the society, to show cause why he refused to pay
him the sum of 14s claimed on account of sickness. Com-
plainant had been a member of the society 40 years, had re-
gularly paid his contributions, and on becoming sick a fort-
night since, expected to receive 7s per week, according to the
rules of the society, but was told the box was closed. The
defence set up was, that the funds of the societ- being low,
a majority of the nistritiers, had resolved that the box should
be closed, and no money paid to the sick members. Mr. W.
H. Ashton, who appeared for the complainant, contended
that a majority had not the power to suspend the payment of
sick members without the consent of the sick. If there were
not funds, the members should be applied to ; and if they re-
fused to pay, they could be compelled by court of requests.
The mayor inquired if the resolution referred to by the de-
fendant had been confirmed at the quarter sessions ; and on
being answered in the negative, said it would not stand good,
and ordered the money to be paid in his presence, or a war-
rant of distress would be issued for the recovery of the
amount. The 14s was accordingly paid,
MR. GREEN'S ATLANTIC BALLOON.—The balloon in
which Mr. Green proposes to cross the Atlantic, differs from
the ordinary balloon in the adaptation of a directing and pro-
pelling.power, new to aeronautics, but very simple and
intelligible. A rudder like that of a ship is acted on in the'
manner of the ordinary rudder, and acts on the lighter ele-
ment as its prototype on water—giving guidance to the aerial
vessel. But the passenger of air may find himself in a cur-
rent of the fluid adverse to his destined course ; he knows,
however, that below or above him is a counter current ; to
attain either, under ordinary circumstances, he has only to
throw out ballast or to let off gas ; but in a voyage to Ame-
rica his ballast might be too soon expended, and his gas
escape too freely ; therefore a pair of vanes, or sails, or
paddles, set at an angle of twenty-two degrees, are attached
to the car. These placed horizontally, and moved in one
direction, do by their action on the air, elevate the balloon,
and by their action in the contrary direction depress it, at the
pleasure of the aeronaut. The sky-rover, may, however be
becalmed, and then a propelling power becomes requisite.
The paddles thus described supply this power, if instead of
their horizontal, they assume a perpendicular position. It is
a fact that the traveller by balloon is to a higher degree than
the traveller by railroad or steam, insensible of his own
motion. He has no data by which to detect his progress.
If he can see the surface of the earth, he sees it rolling rapidly
away, but he is stationary. As to his course he knows no-
thing, except astronomically, and as to his relative distance
from the earth, his only informant is a guide rope, for the
barometer takes no account of mountains, but gives the
height only from the level of the sea. The guide rope, how
ever, which hangs perpendicularly from the balloon till it
touches the earth, forms immediately on that contact au
angle with it, and the rope being marked in fathoms, tell to
the man in ,mbibus his actual distance from the nearest point
onterrafirma. The balloon, if realized, will be 90 feet in
height, and 50 in circumference, and will contain as much
gas as an ordinary Argand burner would consume in twelve
years ! The paddle apparatus will include a square of 555
inches in each surface, and weigh only four pounds. The
estimated cost of the whole machine is .f 3,000. With such
a balloon, and no squalls, Green will sail from the Cross of
St. Paul's to the Cupola of the Capitol at Washington in six
days, wind and weather serving..