The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-24 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

counting-houses, and proceed forthtvith to "enlikhten
even practical men in the science of the cultivation
of the soil. Yet, to look at their innocent faces, and

template their past lives, spent in adding loom
le to spindle, you would not imagine

to loom or spine

they would know a plough from a flail, or a field of
wheat from a field of turnips. Their learning has
either come by intuition, or they have been born
philosophers.
One of these omniscient gentlemen is the quaker
member for Durham city—Mr. John Bright. The
world has imagined that, for the last twenty years,
during which this precocious youth has been im-
mersed in the cares of cotton-spinning and weaving,
in the sweet-smelling and. most enlightened town of
Rochdale, he has not had an hour's leisure to direct
his mind to the subject of farming. Yet we find
him, on a sudden, so perfectly au fait to it in all its
details, that, amongst his fellow-townsmen who are
acquainted with the extent of his opportunities of
learning, we need not be surprised if—

" Still the wonder grows
That one brnadbrisn can cover all he knows."
Draining, hedging, ditching, manures, crops—all
are as familiar to John as cotton or Cocker. He
detects faulty cultivation of the soil as unerringly as
he can detect a broken warp in a piece of his own
calicoes, or a hole in one of his own stockings.
Towards the opinions of such a man it is a sad
proof of human blindness that the world is not dis-
posed to extend implicit deference. An instance of
such recusancy is before us at this moment. A few
nights ago, in his speech in the House upon Mr.
Miles's amendment to the ministerial propositions,
the hon. member took occasion to enlarge upon the
bad farming to be met with throughout the county
of Chester—a county which, in our school days, we
were taught to style, we always presumed from its
superior cultivation and fertility, as " the Vale Royal
of England." According to Mr. Bright, however,
nothing can be much worse than the cultivation of
this pattern county. Its farming is slovenly. ,Its
land is not made the most of. Under the manage-
ment of such an agricultural genius as Mr. Bright
it would doubtless assume a totally different aspect
—deluge Liverpool and Manchester with milk, and
glut every market at home and abroad with "prime
old Cheshire." It is a pity, we repeat, that the facts
and the opinions of such a man are not implicitly
swallowed, and there are people in the world so

behind the present age as to prefer actual observation
and practical knowledge of agricultural pursuits to
the intuitive knowledge of cows and sheep, pasture
and arable. ploughs and harrows, which can now be
picked up in the counting-house of a Rochdale cot-
ton factory. One of the representatives of Cheshire
—Mr. John Tollemache—is afflicted with such old-
world notions, and has been hardy enough to deli-
ver himself of the following denial of Mr. Bright's
assertion, and vindicate the ability and enterprise
of the Cheshire farmers. Mr. Tollemache remarked
that—

" As the hon. member for Durham, after whom he had
risen to Apeak, but in vain, the last night of the debate,
gave vent pretty freely to the expression of his opinion on
the subject of farming in Cheshire, perhaps he might be
allowed, as one of the members for that county, to express
his belief that if the hon. geitlemati had had the same ex-
perience in the cultivation of the soil that he had in the
manufacture of cotton goods, not only would he have art
rived at a very different conclusion with respect to the

state of farming in t

le county of Chester, but he would
been thoroughly satisfied that, so pressed down
inded interest by loctl and general taxation as to
tterly impossible for the British farmer to com•

fears put forth, of the country not being able to
sustain the drain upon its capital for any consider-
able number of new railways, must have pretty
well subsided ; and the extraordinary result of the
half-yearly meetings of the companies in operation
which are now holding, leave no doubt of the profi-
table character of railway investments, or of the
fact that railways create traffic for themselves,
through however unpromising districts they may
be formed. It must, however, strike all reflecting
men, that the present results have been arrived at
without the system having ever been fairly tested.
They have been arrived at in spite of the obstinacy
and the exactions of board& of directors. It has
been proved to the satisfaction of most men—nay,
the success of the system itself thus far proves—
that with cheap fares come increase of locomotion
in an inverse ratio to the reduction, and increased
dividends for the proprietors. Yet where have we
seen any adequate attempt made, to afford to the
public all the benefit and accommodation to which
they are entitled, and to railway companies the cer-
tain results of the full working out of these truly
valuable undertakings ? There are exceptions, we
admit, but they are not as numerous as they should
be.

Such a consideration alone, a care for the public
interests, which is manifest can be served without
the infliction of injury upon individuals or their
property, must influence the decisions of parliamen-
tary committees, and induce them to give full scope
to the enterprise of those w',o are willing to afford
the necessary amount of accommodation to all classes
at the lowest remunerating rate. By-the-bye, it has
never yet been practically shewn what is the lowest
remunerating rate of travelling on railways. Thus
far we are not aware of an instance in which in-
crease of profit hat; not followed reduction of charge.
for locomotion.

The great increase of juvenile crime in the metro-
polis and the large towns of Great Britain—in the
former especially —has long been a subject of serious
and painful consideration with all thinking and good
men. Many have been the causes assigned for it,
and many the remedies proposed. The pressure of
the evil in London has however at length become so

great, and its existence so obvious, as to call for
more vigorous measures ; and at a meeting of noble-
men and gentlemen, held at the Mansion House on
the 14th instant, the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor in
the chair, some valuable statistics, accompanied by
suggestions for checking the growth of juvenile
crime, and providing for the mental, moral, religious,
and industrial training of the destitute youth•in the
metropolis, and other large cities and towns, were
submitted for consideration by the City Solicitor, a
portion of which, as equally applicable to the cir-
cumstances of this town, we shall take the liberty of
quoting.

Mr.-Pearson deduces, from parliamentary returns
and other authentic documents, that whereas in a
period of 40 years the population of England and
Wales, ten years old, has increased 65
.per cent., the
proportionate commitments for crime have increased
494 per cent., and the convictions 625 per cent.
The precise increase in juvenile crime, however, can
be better estimated from the following paragraph of
the Report :
" Uutil within the last ten years the returns& not sloe-

cify the ages of the prisoners ; but, as by these la-
ter documents, the number of juvenile criminals, annually

convict

MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE.-FIVE •PER-
SONS POISONED FROM DRINKING WATER
FROM A WELL IN WEST DERBY.

- Hare and Hounds.
in the village of W—
est Derby, before Mr. Reyes,- county
coroner, on view of the bodies of Jane Gilton, aged 17;
her sister, Margaret Gilton, aged 16 ; and their brother,
John Gilton, aged 12 years, who resided at a villa house
in a lane called Town Row, leading from West Derby to
Knotty Ash. Two others of the same family had died
previously to the three deceased, namely, on the 15th of
the present month the youngest son, Edward Gilton,
aged seven years, and on the 17th, Mrs. Gilton, the mo-
ther, widow of the late Mr. Gilton, printing-ink and

IYesterday, an inquest was hel

colour manufacturer, formerly of this town. The business
had for some years past been carried ott on the pre-
mises in West Derby. No suspicion was, however, en-
tertained at first that either of the two had received any
poisonous substance into the stomach, and their death
was attributed to natural causes. On the following day,
however, circumstances arose which led to the suspicion
that the water used for culinary purposes and for drinking,
was of a poisonous nature. The whole of the inmates of
the house had been more or less ill for about three weeks ;
the eldest and yet surviving son (aged about 20) being the
least affected, he not having been so constantly at home as
the other members of the family. The female servant
and a nurse were alsc, taken ill. The eldest son de-
posed to these facts, and stated that about three weeks
ago he was employed in making green verditer, an article
used by paper stainers, and in colouring; walls. In this
preparation he employed blue verditer, and had to use
along with it a large quantity of arsenic in order to make
it into green verditer. He put the ingredients into a
boiler in a shed at some distance behind and detached
from the house. Between this shed and the house there
is a long building which appears to have been formerly a
conservatory or greenhouse, but had been converted into
what is now called " the colour-house." In one division
or compartment of the colour-house—th

nearest to the

shed—there was a well with a pump on one side of it. Toe
well is about four yards deep, and contains about two
yards in depth of water. This well has also a pipe com-
municating with a pump in the back kitchen, from which
the w iter is taken for domestic purposes. It appeared
that after the eldest son had made that part of the pre-
paration containing the arsenic, it had to be ladled into a
bucket, carried into the colour-house, and there put
into alio- ' '

Lub to coo, _..is was carefully done by a,. Ju rer
who was employed on the premises. After being cooled,
and the other ingredients added, the liquid on the top re-
quired to be drawn off, which was done by a syphen-pipe,
letting it into a wooden spout which discharged its con-

the liquid
Ls no evi-

Douse anti tne potter snea. Ine oeposi
was all that was required in the trade. 1
dente that any of the liquor had been spilt in its traisit,
but it is not improbable but some of it has either found
its way into the well by the top, Which was only covered

with a wooden lid level with the floor; or,-"it may be,
that some of the po'sonous liquor had oozed from the
sough into the well, between which there is a distance of
dest son did not see the arsenic
w that the colour required
any defi-

or eight yards

preparation removed

was produced, and did not afterwards obsery
ciency in the respective quantities of the ingredients

~ . ,
The three deceased (on whom the inquest was held) were
similarly affected during their illness—with nausea and

ng, and the mother had also a sev

cough. The 3
from Walton

were first attended by a professional a
and afterwards by Dr. Garton, of Pr scot, wt
them as for malignant fever ; but eventually thinkinb
"'Oa 11.. rticat.r.:tpth

was, at his request, called in. On the second visit c

these gcntlemen together, both became c
the disease was caused by mineral poison,
not till then find that there were colour

premises. Neither of the three deceased were confined
to their beds on Tuesday last, the day on which their
uncle arrived. John died on Saturday afternoon, at six
o'clock, Jane about three hours afterwards, and Margaret
at half-past eleven on Sunday night.
The Rev. Mr. Gilron, of Sheffield, brother-in.l

leceased Mrs. Gilton, stat,
I to West

law to
ay last

he came from Sheff

Feb. 24, 1846•

LATEST INTELLIGENCE

(BY EXPRESS.)

The Railway Sub-Committee decided yesterday on the
Bost. n, Newark and Sheffi ne, that as far as th°
Spalding branch was concerned 'op standing orders Itsd
not been complied with. An objection was taken to
another branch of the line, but it was overruled.
Sub-Committee No. 2, yesterday decided that in the
Lancashire and North Yorkshire, the standing orders
had not been complied with.

LONDON CORN EXCHAN3E.—YESTERDAY. •
The supply of Wheat from Essex, Kent. and Suffolk, Was `gal
,-
tremely small this morning; fine dry samples were taken re
at the prices of this day se'n night, but others remained unsold
late in the day; old and fine free foreign are much wanted'
In bonded, with the exception of best Dantzic, which is sought
after by the millers at previous rates, there did not appear to .
anything doing. Finest malting Barley maintains our quota-
tions, but inferior is difficult to dispose of at Is per qr. lower'
Beans are ful:y as (I.:ar ; the value of Peas is unaltered. o.a`
are a dull sale at a decline of 6d to Is per quarter, except
fine English Corn, which is scarce. The top price of Flour
reduced to 535-per sack.

SMITHFIELD CATTLE MA RKET.—Yitsrsanmr.
The arrivals of beasts from our own grazing districts fort
morning's market were seasonably good, and of very SuPeal„ort
qual ty; indeed, we have seldom seen a better col ection olt"
oescriptiou of stock. The weather being unfavourable for
slaughtering, the beef trade was very dull, at a decline in the
quotations of quite 2d. per slbs.—the highest figure for the e°",
Scots being only 4s. 2d. per 81bs.
From Norfolk. Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire, we re-
ceived '2OO Scots, homebreds, and short-horns ; from the
northern counties, 400 short-horns; from the western and mid-
land districts, tioo Herefords, runts, Devous, &c.; from other
parts of England, 250 of various breeds; and from Scotland,
8 Scots.

The numbers of sheep were again very small, yet the mutton
trade was excessively dull, at barely, but at nothing quotable
beneath, last week's prices.

Prime small lambs'were steady at 78. per Sibs.
In calves scarcely any business was transacted, at the J$

The po, k trade was firm, and prices were well supported

SHARE MARKET

-YESTRRDA

The share market is steady. but in a somewhat languid condi'
tion. Prices do not show much variation; but Trent Valleys
and Direct Northerns are rather in request; the former ha!!
been done at 25} and the latter at 21 to 2lpm. Brightons, 69*.

Do. Consolidated
Eastern and Dover,
castle and Berwick,

; Eastern Counties,

'''`.••—p /A;
le6; SoUtb
21k; Do, 6i; Nevi-

2, and
je set-
lation to April is ito i per cent. The
luer Bills has been 375., and on India Bonds
er Cents have been WI to 93, and the 3 Per
Bank Stock is heavy at 209&.

tling day, and the cont

rernium on Ex

The New 3,

Cents 96} to 9

BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONERS

kn adjourned meeting of this Board was held last even'
at the Board-room, Hamilton-square. Present—W.
Esq. (in the chair), Messrs. J. H. Green, Gil-
bertson, Worner, Adamson, D. Appleton, W. Laird,
W. Cole, Potter, and Pike.

In
Jackson

The minutes of the last meeting, held on the 15th in-
stant, having been read, which were merely to the effect
that the Board be adj )urned until the 23d instant. for the
purpose of receiving the report of the Health Commit'
tee on the subject of certain clauses to be introduced into
the Improvement Bill, respecting the construction Of
fire-proof warehouses,

The CHAIRMAN said the meeting was held for the ply-
,rd, and he called on Mr. Townsend to

report of the co

Mr. TOWNSEND then read a brief report, recom-
mending a number of clauses being sent to the Law
Clerk (Mr. M3llaby), to be introduced into the bill. The
hy, but were not

eared very. let

The CHAIRMAN enquired whether the powers sought
for would give the commissioners the control of the
warehouses to be erected by the Dock Warehousing Coal-