The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-04-18 00:00:00

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE'.

BIRMINGHAM, in five years, ending 1849, produced
1,374,329 stand of arms.
Sir. A. COCKBURN was re-elected for Southampton on
Wednesday.
Co-Ny-ImmNs.—Ninety-eight converts from Romanism
were, on Wednesday, the sth inst., confirmed in Bermond-
sey, by the Lord Bishop of Winchester. They were pre-
pared for this rite by the Rev. Dr. Armstrong, with the
assistance of the agents of the Society for English Church
Missions to the Romanists.

THE JEWISH PASSOVER.—The great feast of "the
Passover," the most ancient and important among the
Jewish people, is now being celebrated. The festival lasts
a week, during which the Jews exceed in hospitality and
charity, and give alms to poor people, in accordance with
their meare. Unleavened bread only is used during the
week, and businees is generally suspended.
AN EXPRESS OFF THE LINE.—The express train due
at Plymouth on Monday night, last week, ran off the line
about a mile and a half on the Plymouth side of Ivybridge.
The rails and sleepers were torn up for more than a hun-
dred yards, but the only damage to the passengers or the
servants of the company was a severe shaking.
SYDENHAM CRYSTAL PALACE.—The colouring of the
building itself is greatly altered from that of Hyde-park,
about which there was so much discussion ; the shafts of
the columns are painted red, and the result is, as it seems
to us, though perhaps part may be due to the form of the
roof and other features, that the building appears very
much shorter than it is, by the real difference between the
two structures. It would be wrong, however, to discuss
this before the trees and shrubs, with which the red colour
seems likely to -harmonise well, are in their places. Any
way, the effect of the interior is now very fine, and is so in
Mr. Jones's original drawing.— The Builder.
Hum. DocKs.—The Eastern Counties Herald says
that they have seldom seen fewer vessels or fewer labourers
at work in the docks than at the present period. This is
,attributed to the war, which has paralysed the trade of
the port.
INCENDIA.RISM IN THE WEST.—AR unusually large
number of incendiary fires have occurred in Devonshire
and the neighbouring counties during the last few weeks.
Agricultural buildings have chiefly sufered, but, in several
instances, some malicious persons have set fire to extensive
tracts of plantations. At Rora-wood, Elsington, near
Ashburton, fire was set to a plantation, and before it could
be extinguished upwards of an acre was consumed. A few
days before a similar conflagration took place near Col-
lumpton, a town about 12 miles from Exeter. Fire was
set to a young plantation of firs, and within an hour
upwards of an acre was destroyed. The devastation
would have been much greater had it not been for the
active exertions of the neighbours. The plantation be-
longed to Sir Thomas Acland, M.P. for North Devon.
ACCIDENTAL POISONING IN SUSSEX.—On Saturday, as
two little boys, aged four and five years, sons of Mr. Jas.
Compton, of the Nursery, accompanied by the child of
Mr. Burgess, a neighbour, were amusing themselves on
the sunny banks contiguous to their residence, they were
attracted by the gayness of the appearance of some
poisonous plant, supposed to be the Arum, or, as it is more
generally known by children, "Lords and Ladies," and-
were induced to gather it. Fancying it might prove
equally attractive to the palate, they partook of it, and
soon afterwards the youngest child showed evident signs
of insensibility. Little Burgess becoming alarmed, imme-
diately ran home and informed the child's parents, who
directly hastened to the spot, and conveyed the little
sufferer home ; but the deadly poison had got too strong a
hold, and in a short time he was a corpse. The other
child not having partaken so freely of the herb, and,
medical aid having been called in, there is, at present,
every probability of -his recovery.—Brighton Gazette.
SUNDAY IN PARIS.—At Paris the question of the Sun-
day has made some progress lately. Two years ago, a
Roman Catholic committee was formed, who, half by
persuasion, and half by intimidation, have collected in the
Faubourg St. Germain, nearly 3,000 signatures, 1,100 or
1,200 of which are from tradesmen, who pledge them-
selves not to buy, and not to open their shops on Sunday.
There is also a Protestant committee formed, and it has
placed itself in connexion with the preceding one, but
they have decided that, although aiming at the same end,
they would do their work separately. An English gentle-
man, Mr. Cochrane, devoted to this cause, has already in-
duced a great number of the tradesmen around the
Exchange, and in the Rue Vivienne, to close their shops
on Sunday. The commercial men and tradesmen of Paris
have lately had a numerous meeting upon this question.
A provisional committee has been named to examine it.

FROM COMMON GRATES.—We are told of an
invention by Mr. J. Jeffreys, of Leeds, said to be applicable
to a common grate, without any alteration, for the purpose
of burning coke in house fires ; by means of which smDke
is to be done away with, and a saving of fuel effected. A
sliding partition, like a moving "flower," is fitted in fr out
of the fire-place, and has another plate of metal suspended
to its lower edge at an angle of about 60 degrees, having
about one-third of its surface in front of the partition, and
two-thirds behind it. This inclined plate has an important
action, and is termed an "inflector," as it turns the current
of air with force upon the top and front of the fire, keeping
them brilliant. By giving this inflector a polished surface,
it becomes also a powerful reflector of the heat which, as
an inflector, it excites. Sheet tin will answer well for
common purposes ; while, for the poor, thin sheet-iron will
give all the effect of the inflector, though not acting as a
reflector. It is said the whole apparatus might be adapted
to a poor man's grate for 45., while the economy of fuel,
after repeated trials, is foun to amount from a fourth to
more than a third.—The Builder.

MATRICIDE.—A farmer, named Abraham Robinson,
residing at Blaxton, about eight miles from Doncaster,
has just been committed to York Castle for trial on a
charge of manslaughtqr, he having, by a long series of
acts of cruelty, caused or accelerated the death of his
mother. One witness, named Mary Taylor, stated, at the
inquest on the body of the deceased, that she had acted
as charwoman at Robinson's house, and had frequently
seen him strike his mother with a whip or stick without
a lash. About five weeks ago he wanted the deceased to
pump some water; she did not speak, and he beat her so
severely that she repeatedly cried for mercy. "Witness
said to Robinson, "Remember, she's your mother." He
replied, " Yes ; and a d— nice mother she is." Other
witnesses deposed to having heard, when passing Robin-
sons' house, a whip crack, and cries of " Oh, dear !" pro-
ceeding from the deceased. The poor creature was com-
pelled to do the worst drudgery in the house ; she was
kept in the back kitchen without a fire during the winter
nights ; and she was so completely starved for want of
food, that she was frequently seen picking bits out of the
swill tub. When she refused to work she was beaten by
Robinson or his wife. She had no bed to sleep upon except
a bundle of old clothes, with a single rug for a covering.
Cant Cox. —ln the London Sheriff's Court, on
Wednesday, the case of Pedder v. Purvis, was
an inquiry to assess damages after judgment by default.
The damages were laid at £3,000. In 1847 the
plaintiff was married to a young lady of the name of Emma
Simpson, both of them being twenty-three years of age,
and their circumstances might be said to be also equal,
thus showing that the union was one of pure affection.
The lady was the natural daughter of a West India pro-
prietor, who, on his death, left her a sum of £6,000, the
interest of which was to be at her use, and, on her death,
the principal was to go to her children ; and if she had
none, then to be at her sole disposal. She was also entitled
to the reversionary interest in the sum of £4,000 on the
death of her brother. One child was the issue of the mar-
riage, but, perhaps fortunately under 'the painful circum-
stances, it died. The plaintiff and Mrs. Pedder lived on
terms of the greatest affection, until the summer of last
year, when the defendant's regiment was -stationed at
Fulwood barracks, near Preston ; and he, with other
officers of the regiment, received invitations to plaintiff's
house, and was received there on terms of friendship, dur-
ing the time the regiment remained there. In the month
of July, there were certain circumstances which led the
plaintiff to entertain some grave suspicion as to the con-
duct of Mrs. Pedder, and he expostulated with her,
although he had not at that time any suspicion that there
had been any criminal intercourse between her and the
defendant : he warned her of her indiscretion, on which
she became violent, and insisted on going back to her
friends at Liverpool, where she remained some time, until
she left with defendant and went to Plymouth, where his
regiment was stationed. It was discovered that they
afterWardS lived together as mail and wife; under assumed
names, at Hammerton Fuliot, about six miles from Ply-
mouth. They subsequently went over to Belgium, where
they still resided. The learned counsel said he was certain
that the jury would consider this one of the grossest cases
which could well be brought before them, and entitled the
plaintiff to exemplary damages, as the defendant would
take possession of the interest of the £6,000 • and, should
he survive Mrs. Pedder, he would, no doubt, take possession
of all her property. The jury gave a verdict for plaintiff--
damages, £2,000.
DIVORc E.—ln the House ofLords on Tuesday, "Berens's"
Divorce Bill was read a second time. The petitioner, Capt.
William Joseph Berens, of Orpington, in the county of
.Kent, sought to dissolve his marriage with Miss Rolleston,
his present wife. Capt. Berens is a member of an influen-
tial family in that county, and was married to Miss Louisa
Maria Rolleston on the 20th of July, 1837. The marriage
was performed by the lady's uncle. Of this marriage
there was no issue, and it was proved that the parties had
lived most happily together until they had become ac-
quainted with Mr. John Coventry, of Burgate-house, in the
county of Southampton. Mrs. Berens first met Mr.
Coventry on the occasion of her visit to Scotland in conse-
quence of the death of her sister, Mrs. Bromley, who died
in January 1853. Subsequently to her return to England
Mr. Coventry called at Orpington-hall to consult her as to
the natureof the tomb to be erected to her sister's memory
in Scotland. Upon that occasion his visit extended to five
days, but there was not any • act either of Mrs. Berens or
of Mr. Coventry which gave rise to the least suspicion as
to their want of propriety of conduct. Mr. Coventry paid
one other visit only, and on the night of the 16th of May,
Mrs. Berens eloped, as was afterwards proved, with that
gentleman. The lady's flight was discovered on the follow-
ing morning by the lady's maid upon her entering the bed-
room of her mistress (Capt. and Mrs. Berens at this period
occupied separate rooms in consequence of illness,) when
she found that Mrs. Berens was gone, and had not been in
bed during the night. Upon a subsequent examination of
the premises, the servant discovered that her mistress had
gone out through a side door into the garden. It was
then proved that the parties had fled in a fly, which had
been hired by the gentleman at the Tiger's Head, Lee, by
means of which they had been conveyed to the Bricklayer's
Arms, in the Old Kent-road, where they alighted and
entered a cab, in which they were driven towards London-
bridge. Notwithstanding that every inquiry was made
the parties were not found till the 21st of June, upon
which day a clerk to the solicitors of Capt. Berens, met
Mr. Coventry at Liverpool, when he served him with a
writ. Upon the former day evidence was given of the fact
of Mr. Coventry and Mrs. Bernes having, on the night of
the 18th of May, slept together as man and wife at the
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remained until the 23rd, when they took private lodgings.
An action was commenced by Capt. Berens against Mr.
Coventry, who allowed judgment to go by default, and a
writ of inquiry which was subsequently issued resulted in
the damages being assessed at £7OO, which sum, together
with £216 as taxed costs, were afterwards paid by Mr.
Coventry's solicitors. Proceedings were then taken in the
Ecclesiastical Courts for a divorce, and on the 6th of
December a decree fora separation a mensa et thoro was
pronounced. The petitioner then instituted the present
proceedings,