The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-24 00:00:00

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1853.

A COMPANY entitled the Peninsular Mining Company
has been formed for the purpose of working lead and
copper mines recently discovered in the north of Spain,
and eenerally for the prosecution of mining purposes in
the Peninsula.

A WRITER in Home Thoughts for May, says :—" We
have seen Louis Blanc in the streets of London frequently.
His figure and stature are those of a boy of twelve, but his
head is a remarkably fine one. It was Louis Philippe who
declared that the History of Ten Years, by Louis Blanc,
acted like avolleyon thebulwarks of the loyalty of France."
THE CAMP AT CHOBHAM.—The 2d company of the
Royal Sappers and Miners, under the command of Capt.
J. W. Lovell, Royal Engineers, have proceeded to Chob-
ham, to be employed in sinking wells and forming such
necessary accommodations of a temporary character as
may be considered indispensable to a camp which will be
occupied by from 5,000 to 10,000 men.
GLASS PIAZZAS FOR THE STREETS.—The Builder sug-
gests the erection of glass piazzas over the flagways or
footpaths on both sides of the streets. They might be
formed by a series of ridge and furrow roofs, placed one
beside the other in succession, after the fashion of the
Crystal Palace, and supported on iron columns. These,
if carried on continuously, in front of the houses and over
the crossings, would be highly ornamental, while they
would be also undeniably of public utility.

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TRANSATLANTIC STEAM-SHIPS.—The Liverpool and
Philadelphia Steam-ship Company's steam-ship City of
Manchester, Robert Leitch, commander, sailed on Thurs-
day afternoon, for Philadelphia, with 177 cabin passen-
gers and a moderate cargo. The United States mail
steam-ship Arctic, Luce, commander, took her departure
hence for New York at 4 12 p.m. on Wednesday, with
120 passengers and a fair cargo, besides the usual mails
on board. Among the passengers were Mr. W. C. Rives,
American Minister at Paris, and his family.
SENTENCE OF DEATII.—A man named M4Gowan, has
been sentenced to death by the High Court of Justiciary
of Edinburgh, for having caused the death of an old man,
named M'Guire, at Irvine, in Ayrshire, in October last,
by stabbing him with a knife. As the evidence adduced
tended to show that the murderer was incited to the deed
by a suspicion that the deceased had a hand in blasting his
happiness, by causing his son to run away with Mrs.
M'Gowan, the jury recommended him to mercy. The
Loed Justice General promised to forward the recommen-
dation to the proper quarter.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—VERDICT OF MANSLAUGHTER.
—The jury empannelled to inquire into the deaths of
John Thompson and Joseph Sykes, engine-driver and
stoker, by the recent accident on the York and North
Midland Railway, when the engine ran off the line, have
returned a verdict against the directors. The inquest
had been adjourned from the 6th ipstant, to allow of the
road being inspected by Captain Gallon, of the Board of
Trade, who gave his opinion that the line was in such a
condition as not to be safe for engines at a high speed.
" If he had been requested to report on the state of the
road, not knowing of the accident, he should not have re-
ported that it was safe for the public to pass on with the
present traffic going over it." The jury returned their
verdict after twenty minutes' deliberation. A sufficient
number agreed, but there were two dissentients.
ROMANTIC SUICIDE.—On Wednesday morning the
body of a young man was discovered in a small copse near
the Crystal Palace, with his head blown to pieces, and a
new rifle pistol lying by his side. The deceased's name
was Lawrence Cooper Mason, aged 17, and for the last
four years he had been in the employ of Mr. Attwell,
butcher, of Camberwell, and had carried on a corres-
pondence with his young mistress, only 14 years of age,
which his master had endeavoured to put an end to, which
induced him to leave his service. Two letters were found
on his person, the first of which was addressed to his
master, and was as follows :—" Sir, I have been in your
service upwards of four years, and I must say I have met
with every encouragement I have wished for until lately.
As I am to be separated from the sole object of my affec-
tions, there is no comfort for me in this world. My heart
is ready to burst with grief ; in fact, my agonies at the
present time are more than I can bear, and therefore I am
determined to ease myself of them by taking my own life."
THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY
drew a full concourse of sympathisers at the annual meet-
ing at Exeter-hall, yesterday week, the great room being
crowded in every part. The attendance was stimulated
by the expected presence of Mrs. Stowe, who was received
by the audience standing, excited to a " tremendous
pitch," and it was minutes before the cheers, with which
the hall rang again, had sufficiently relieved them. When
she withdrew, the same honours were paid to her, every
one standing up and cheering with heart and soul. Pro-
fessor Stowe, the Rev. C. Beecher, and the Rev. S.
\Verde, a black minister from Canada, were added to the
committee of the society. The professor told the meet-
ing that speechifying in Exeter-hell was of little use ; but
if they really wanted to put down slavery in America, they
must bring free labour into competition with slave labour ;
and, if the English could not make as much profit by
using free cotton as slave cotton, they must be content
with practising a little of the denial they so properly
preached to the slaveholder.
THE MILITARY ENCAMPMENT at Bagshot will soon be
effected. Lieut.-General Lord Seaton will command in
chief. The following particulars have been published :
" The troops consist of four regiments of cavalry, twenty-
four pieces of artillery, and three brigades of infantry, each
under the command of a Major-General. The first infan-
try brigade will be formed of three battalions of Guards,
the second and third each of three battalions of the line.
The whole force will amount to about 8,000 men, with
2,000 horses ; and after the troops composing the first
division have had three or four weeks' practice in field
evolutions, they will be replaced by a similar force for the
same period. The Sappers and Miners from Chatham
will form part of the force encamped ; field-works and
entrenchments will be thrown up, and bridges of pontoons,
in which the merit of recent inventions may be tested,
will be thrown over some narrow portions of Virginia
Water—a lake which, as is not, perhaps, generally known,
owes its existence to the labours of the army which fought
under the Duke of Cumberland at Culloden."
AN EXTRAORDINARY SHOT.—" What is in the blood
will never come out of the flesh," is an axiom fully
illustrated in the case of a son of Mr. Charles Tester, of
Balcombe, who a few years since, while shooting on his
father's land, burst his gun, and so sadly injured his left
hand that it was obliged to be amputated below the
elbow. Still true to the sport he continued to use the
trigger, and one day while out with his brother and Sir
Percy Shelley, about two years ago, a rabbit started at
his feet. and suddenly raising his right hand to point it
out, he received the full charge from his brother's gun.
He very coolly went home and ordered Dr. Smith, of
Crawley, to be sent for, deliberately preparing for a
second operation, which was skilfully performed ; but
even now he does not give up his favourite sport, and
having two wooden hands, continues to raise his gun to
his shoulder by laying it across the stump of his lift arm,
pulling the trigger with his other artificial hand, and with
such skill that a rabbit seldom escapes his aim, and one
evening during the winter, he actually fetched down a
woodcock on the wing in good style.—Brighton Gazette.
VAGRANT CHILDREN.—A parliamentary return gives
the number of children below the apparent age of four-
' teen found by the police " at large" as mendicants or
thieves. Of such children, ninety-four were found in the
various metropolitan districts, in whose cases it was im-
possible to find or trace their connection with their
parents. The parents of 231 children "at large " were
found, and appeared to be in a condition of life to main-
tain and educate them ; while it was found that the
parents of 580 of such children were capable of at least
contributing to their maintenance and education. Of
411 children, it was notorious that their parents sent them
to beg, and live in idleness and profligacy on their earn-
ings. The total number of children "at large" in Lon-
don amounts to 1,316. Joined to this return is a similar
statistical account of the children under fourteen found
by the police in lodging-houses as mendicants and thieves.
Of such children, forty were found without parents ; the
parents of 105 were able to maintain them, and the
parents of 1,190 were able to contribute towards their
support; and 433 were purposely sent from their homes
to beg. The total number of children in lodging-houses
was 1,i82, which number, added to the number of chil-
dren "at large," gives a grand total of 3,091 juvenile
mendicants and thieves.

WORK Fon GAOLS.---I think it right and necessary that
there should be in gaols some degraded kind of hard and
irksome work, belonging only to gaols. I don't think
Mr. Hill's punishment of cleanliness and discipline, and
no beer and no tobacco, half enough for the regular hands.
I think it a question by no means to be left out of view—
What kind of work does the determined thief, or the de-
termined swindler, or the determined vagrant most abhor?
Find me that work, and to it in preference to any other, 1
act that man relentlessly. Now, I make bold to whisper
in Mr. Hill's ear the inquiry whether the work best an-
swering to this discription is not almost invariably found
to he useless work. And to such useless work, I plainly
say, I desire to set that determined thief, swindler, or va-
grant, for his punishment. I have not the least hesitation
in avowing to Mr. Hill that it is a satisfaction to me to see
that determined thief, swindler, or vagrant sweating pro-
fusely at the treadmill or the crank, and extremely
galled to know that he is doing nothing all the time but un-
dergoing punishment.-1 have a very strong idea that he is
sent to prison rightfully, for that purpose ; and I have no
idea whatever that he is yet entitled to the privilege of
being taught a trade, or that his life out of that place has
established its claim within that place to work as men
work who are not despoilers of their kind.—Dickens's
Household Words.

A FRIGHTFUL SCENE NEAR LEEDS.—A few days since,
the inhabitants of Bramley were much alarmed on finding
a young man, who had been for many years out of health,
almost reduced to a skeleton, and of late scarcely able to
walk, standing upon the chimney of a house three storeys
high. This young man, a mason, received an injury on
the head by a fall from a high building several years ago,
and as he advanced in years he continually grew worse,
and at length was compelled to give up working. He is
subject to fits daily, and after one of them he was seen,
in the absence of his parents, on the roof of a house
adjacent. He then got upon another house of three
storeys high adjoining, and when he could get no higher,
immediately mounted the chimney, and there stood for
about three quarters of an hour. He then commenced
reading in a stentorian voice, which soon drew the people
out of their houses to ascertain the matter. The terrified
spectators shouted to him, but he heeded it not. All
were afraid to attempt his rescue, as their own lives must
thus become a sacrifice ; but at length some persons volun-
teered to make the attempt, and obtained a ladder and
went up to him. but, as soon as they endeavoured
to
touch him, he took a brick from the chimney upon which
he stood, and swore he would throw it at them. TheAt
people shed many tears, especially the females.
length the young man's father came, and fearing no
hazard ascended the ladder, ran up the roof of the house
to the chimney, and ordend his son to come down, but
he replied that he would not, and that he would kill him.
The father was about to resort to physical means, but the
son said he would leap down. The father shouted " No,"
and the son immediately replied that he would go down
the chimney, and just as his father had thrown off his
coat, he was, head-foremost, commencing his descent.
His father caught hold of him, brought him from the
chimney, and held him down across the roof, and then
about a score of spectators went to his aid, bound the
unfortunate young man hand and foot, and let him down
by two long cart ropes. He is pronounced to be in an
unsound state of mind, and steps Are being taken for his
future safety .—Leeds Mercury.

Tur. MASTER of Shepton Mallet Union applied to the
guardians, last week, for leave to hire men to do the
necessary work of the poor-house, the paupers having all
departed.

FROM A PARLIAMENTARY RETURN, recently issued,
it appears that there have been 24 members unseated for
bribery, distributed over 18 boroughs. Of these six have
been caused by the demise of members, three by disputes
about returns, and five by acceptances of office.
THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON has invited the
mayors of the different towns in England and Ireland to
dinner on the 7th of June, to be followed on the following
day by a conversazione relative to the promotion of science
and art throughout the empire, in deference to her Ma-
jesty's wishes.

DESTRUCTION OF A FACTORY.—OR Friday week, an
immense new weaving shed of one story in height, belong-
ing to Messrs. Radcliffe Brothers, cotton manufacturers,
near Rochdale, covering 10,000 square yards of ground,
only partially covered in, was blown down by a gust of
wind ; and about £2.000 worth of property was destroyed.
The builders were at work, but all of them escaped alive,
though some few sustained rather severe bruises.
THE MURDER AT BACTON RECTORY.—The police
have succeeded in apprehending a man who is supposed
to have been the perpetrator of the horrible murder of
Maria Steggles, the aged housekeeper of the Rev. E. B.
Barker, at Becton Rectory, on the morning of Sunday,
the Bth instant. He is a labourer, named W illiam Flatt,
about 20 years of age, and lived in the village of Bacton.
His character is a very indifferent one, and he appears to
have been several times summarily convicted by the ma-
gistrates—once for stealing lead from the parish church.

THE Dumbarton Chronicle records and moralises upon
the ceremonies attending the arrival of Lord Cowan, judge
of assize, at Inverary, in the following striking way :
Having met his lordship at the extremity of the burgh,
" the authorities," says that journal, " formed themselves
into order of procession, entered the town, accompanied
by a large crowd, preceded by halbert-bearers in their red
coats, and two trumpeters, whose thrilling notes in the
stillness of this peaceful retirement must have struck such
terror into the inmost recesses of the hearts of the guilty
prisoners, if heard by them, as must vividly recal to them
the days of their former innocence, if any ray of the light
of conscience were yet flickering within them 1"
AN AFRICAN PRINCE.—Among the passengers by the
Severn, which arrived on Tuesday at Southampton, was
Prince Sidi, the son of a powerful African chieftain over
the Trarzas people, who trade with the islands and por-
tions of the African continent which form the French
colonial establishments between the Senegal and Gambia
rivers. His object is to visit Europe, and in this he was
prompted by his own curiosity, and had: his father's con-
sent. He is a fine young man, about twenty years of age,
with rather Arab features. His language is Arabic, and
his religion Mahomedan. His dress bore the symbols of
rank and power. Prince Sidi speaks a little French.
While at Southampton he visited Netley Abbey am':
other places, but betrayed no emotion. He was fond of
smoking. He left for Havre on Wednesday.

SINGULAR ACCIDENT AFTERAMARRIAGE CEREMONY.
—On Tuesday, Riffle the carriage which conveyed the
bridesmaids who officiated at the marriage of Miss "Nal-
ders, Croydon, was returning through Bedington-park,
the pole splintered, and on reaching Croydon it entirely
broke. The consequence was that the horses got fright-
ened, and dashed down the street at a furious rate. They
afterwards ran into a house projecting at the further end,
carrying away the entire front, which was of lath and
plaster. A little child that was inside was so seriously
injured that its life is considered in a precarious state.
The horses were extricated, and the bridesmaids received
no injury, though, as might be expected, they were much
frightened. The coachman was slightly bruised.

EXTRAORDINARY ASSAULT ON A LADY.—A CBSC of a
singular nature occurred a few days since on the Stour
Valley railway. Miss Prince, a young lady of most re-
spectable family connexions in Dudley, got into a first-
class carriage at the New-street station to proceed by a
train for Dudley. Shortly after the train started, and im-
mediately on its entering the tunnel, the door of the
carriage in which Miss Prince was sitting alone was
opened, and some one entered and took hold of her arm.
She screamed out, and the person said he did not want to
hurt her, and toll her not to be alarmed. The man
seized hold of her, and, after a struggle, kissed her. A.
knocking was then heard in the other partition of the car-
riage, and the man got out, but not until Miss Prince had
felt that he had on a belt, and that his coat buttons were
very large. In a few moments after the train emerged
from the tunnel, and on reaching Dudley Port, Miss
Prince made a complaint of the treatment she had received.
The company instituted an inquiry into the circumstance,
in consequence of which the guard Hayes was discharged
from their service ; and the relatives of Miss Prince hav-
ing made a representation to the Northwestern Railway
Company, it was determined to prosecute him for the
offence. The case was ultimately brought before the ma-
gistrates, when Hayes, who had been aprehended at his
residence in Wolverhampton, was brought up in custody.
The prisoner having previously admitted that he had com-
mitted the offence, the bench inflicted a penalty of £5,
which was immediately paid.—Eirminykant Journal.
MURDER BY A WlFE.—Early on Tuesday the inha-
bitants of St. Leonard's-on-Sea were thrown into a state
of excitement by the report that during the night a man
named Stephen Smith had lost his life in an altercation
with his wife. The deceased was a shoemaker, living with
his wife in a room over some coach-houses in the Harold-
mews, St. Leonard's-on• Sea. On Monday evening de-
ceased and his wife were seen in a beer-shop ; they ap-
peared to be on very friendly terms. They were seer.
returning to St. Leonard's shortly before twelve o'clock.
This was the last time they were seen together. In twenty
minutes after this the woman fetched a pint of beer,
which she did not take home. Shortly after one o'clock
she called a neighbour, named Mary Cope, stating that
she had stabbed her husband. This person ran for a sur-
geon, who was on the spot in ten minutes. On bis en-
tering the room Mrs. Smith exclaimed, " I have killed
my husbavd. I knew it would come to this." She fur-
ther said that the deceased was always jealous of her;
they had been out together to Hastings, and in coming
home she "gave him the slip," and did cot get home until
after him ; that he spoke to her, and she then threatened
to " do for him," upon which he opened his waistcoat and
said "Do it." She then took up a knife, having a very
sharp point, from deceased's work-seat, and stabbed him
in the chest, afterwards throwing the knife out of the
window upon a dungheap. From this wound he died in
about a quarter of an hour. An inquest was held on the
body, and a verdict of " Wilful murder" returned. The
accused woman has been of a loose character, of drinking
habits, and possessed of an ungovernable temper.
TABLE MOVING IN LONDON.—Mrs. Beecher Stowe—
Uncle Tom's Cabin—Dockyard Corruption, and Hat and
Table Moving ! Between these it is really enough to
lose one's senses. I must, however, give the palm of
being the greatest " bore" to the last named Yankee
notion. You can scarcely go into a room without seeing
three or four people standing all round a table, motion-
less, like so many painter's dummies, with their hands on
the leaf of an old hat, which you are assured will begin to
gyrate presently, if you have patience to wait ; and then
you are asked if you are " highly magnetic," if you are a
medium, if you believe in " Rappers," by persons whom
on other matters you would readily believe to be sensible,
well-informed men ; and you hear all sorts of absurd
theories broached about the magnetic fluid which per-
forms these wonders, but which, assuredly, in pheno-
mena, action, or force, has not the smallest affinity to
any exhibition of the electric agency in its various forms,
whether as tense electricity, electro magnetism, or gal-
vanism. Hitherto I have been always too late or too
early for the sight ; the hat has just been moved, or I hear
that it has done so after my departure ; and hence I am
led to believe that I am a highly " anti-magnetic " per-
son. I must, however, admit that I have met many per-
sons who have informed me that they have witnessed
with their own eyes these most curious manifestations.
Among others, Thackeray has just returned from America,
full of hat and table moving and spirit rapping. lie
stoutly maintains that he believes in them all ! No less
a person than the Bishop of Oxford had a seance may-
netique the other evening, when his lordship, with the
aid of Chevalier Bunsen and thee others, managed to
make his broad brim shovel move round with great rapidity.
A great number of literary people are dabbling at it, and much
valuable time will be lost to society, I fear; for the ex-
periment, even when most successful, requires at least half
an hour to move a hat, and so on in proportion for a
table. If the thing be true, we can do wonders, for if
three can make a hat move, a thousand ought to move a
house; in fact, there can be no bounds to this power if the
force really exists in individuals, and is multipied by con-
' tact. Men of science laugh, but the faith gains ground
nevertheless.—Daily Repress.
THE CANTERBURY COMMISSION. Messrs. Slade,
Anstey, and Burcham have opened the commission of
inquiry at Canterbury. The first witness was Alderman
Brent, who had always taken a part for the Liberal can-
didates at elections for the city. "He had had good ap-
pointments given to him for four of his sons, and he
himself had been appointed deputy-lieutenant of the
county. The first appointment was given to one of his
sons about seventeen years ago • the second about four-
teen years ago ; the third about three years ago ; and the
fourth just as the Whig government went out, and before
Lord Derby's Government came in." He had obtained
appointments for the sons of other voters, and handed in
a book of the disbursements on behalf of the Liberal can-
didates in 1847. Jonathan John Rutter had the spending
in that year of £l,BOO on behalf of Lord Albert Conyng-
ham and Mr. Smythe, the Liberal candidates. He stated
without any circumvention that he gave money to one
man to bribe thirty voters, and likewise three others for a
similar purpose. ' I never bribed a single voter myself,
but I gave other men money, and I knew they were going
to bribe with that money perfectly well." (Sensation.)
CO'onel Romilly, the Liberal candidate in 1851 and 1852,
was not inclined to be so open. All his expenses
_vs'ere
paid, hut he has no legal knowledge by who'll._ The Hon.
Butler Johnstone and Mr. Gipps, the unseated members,
acknowledged to having spent respectively £1,300 and
£5OO. The latterh accordingwFaosrrbaesid3biascekketiouiel,r.tGheipmpsa,nager o
fa
to promise, by .
fund for his party. Mr. Johnstone said he was afraid of
the longo 'o',Bainifr,oinnsspuupriswer'; boeflioienrgisnogn.tioo.itahe w:3slairrc\l\iliouniaestris
of Con y
Somerville. Dlr. Pilcher, steward to the Marchioness,
waited on Sir William at the Fountain, who then said to
him, will lose my election before I will do these acts
messengers' tickets that lost
of bribery ; it was giving
Mr. Strutt his seat for Derby."
Saunders mentioned the name of f(oLuarug hte
voters.r
bribed in 1847, with
money received from Ru)titt'eart) l".haeu3hrljacrde.
Pout had spent the 4:1,700 for Neressrs. Johnstone and
Gipps in money bribery and colour-tickets. " Thought
there was as much dirty work on one side as the other."
Evidence was given by other witnesses of a lavish ex-
penditure of money in bribery on both sides, that quite
put St. Alban's in the shade. Hundreds, and, in some
cases, even a thousand pounds appears to have been dis-
posed of without any check on the parties employed,
who, though unable to recollect the parties bribed, de-
clare, with great gravity, none of the money stuck by the
way. Lord Pelham Clinton was a candidate in 1847,
with Mr, Vance. His expenses were paid by Major
Beresford. Mr. Alderman Brent, recalled, said—" He
paid the balance of the amount he received for the ex-
penses of the election of 1850 to Mr. Coppock, who was
then acting, he had an impression, for Colonel Romilly,
The balance paid to Mr. Coppock was £lOO, and not
£2OB, and he (Mr. Brent) retained in his own hands the
remainder for contingencies," (Laughter.)