The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-19 00:00:00

Ciii.lietE OF STEALING A BILL OF Excff.44laa,—Mr.
Henry Pitt, of the firm of Pitt and Maybury, of "Wednes-
bury,. Staffordshire, was charged with stealing a bill of
exchange for £lOOO from Mr. Thomas Lee, clerk in the
WolVerhampton and Staffordshire Banking Company.
The bill was dated Liverpool, Ist of July, 1847, payable
three months after date, drawn by Higgins Brothers, upon
Pitt and Maybury, Victoria Works, Wednesbury, accepted
by Pitt and Maybury, at Spooner and Co.'s, bankers,
London. The bill bore the endorsement of " Higgins
Brothers," and then next, " Pro George Jones, John
Jones." This bill had been received at the bank in part
liquidation of Mr. G. Jones's account. Mr. H. Hill, the
manager of the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Bank,
received the bill from London noted for non-payment.
He directed Mr. Thomas Lee, one of the clerks, to re-
quest payment of the bill at Messrs. Pitt and Maybury's.
Mr. Lee accordingly took the bill to Pitt and Maybury's,
and showed it to Mr. Pitt, who snatched it out of his
(Mr. Lee's) hands, and refused to pay it or deliver it back.
Mr. Pitt stated that he had never received value for this
bill; but if Mr. Jones would let him have his pig-iron,
he would pay the bill. Ultimately Mr. Pitt was given
into custody on a charge of stealing the bill, and brought
before the magistrates. It appeared that he was much
excited and exasperated at the time that he seized the
bill ; and after much discussion as to the nature of the
offence, the charge was withdrawn on the bill being res-
tored to the bank.
THE CHOLERA.—The steady advance of the cholera
westward has induced a general apprehension that it will
not be long before it is imported into this country. In the
Times of Tuesday there is a letter from Mr. William
Herapath, of Bristol, in which he recommends fumigation,
by means of chlorine, as the only effective means of palli-
ating the ravages of this alarming disorder. He says,
" The two most popular disinfectants of the day—the
chloride of zinc and the nitrate of lead, known as Sir W.
Burnett's and Ledoyen's, will be of no avail, although
they will promptly remove ordinary putrid effluvia. The
only chemical preventive I depended upon in my numerous
exposures to the virus was chlorine gas, and this I believe
to be a perfect one, if the fumigation is complete. 1 inva-
riably passed through an atmosphere of it on my return
home, and kept it escaping in my residence during the
continuance of the disease in the city. I also placed large
quantities of the substance necessary for the evolution of
this gas in the hands of a Bristol druggist, who was kind
enough to distribute 1,200 quantities of it gratuitously to
applicants during three days, with instructions for the use,
and am happy to say that during that time the deaths fell
from ten to one per day, and I have but little doubt that
if every ship arriving in England from an infected place,
should be exposed to a perfect fumigation with chlorine,
we shall be preserved from the infection. If the disease
should pass this cordon, by any accident, then every house in
the infected district should be simultaneously fumigated
with it—say three times a day; unless done in all houses at
the same time it would be useless or nearly so ; and to do
it effectually, a mixture of three parts of common salt and
one of black oxide of manganese, should be placed just
inside the outer or street door of the dwelling-house, and
a little common vitriol poured upon it. The inward cur-
rent of air will convey the chlorine gas to every part of
the interior, and whenever it can be smelt the effect is
produced—the miasm is destroyed. If articles of clothing
are infected, and the colours likely to be injured by the
gas, they may be heated in an oven or on a kiln,.to 2500 r
300 degrees (about the heat of baking bread), when they
may be handled or used with perfect impunity."
COMMERCIAL DISTRESS.—The failure of James and
William Morley, Manchester warehousemen, has been
announced. The house was of about forty years' stand-
ing, and the liabilities, it is supposed, may amount to
about £60,000 or £BO,OOO. The immediate cause of
the suspension was the circumstance of their holding ac-
ceptances of Rickards, Little, and Co. On Tuesday, it
was announced that Mr. W. Nash, Manchester and
woollen warehouseman, had suspended his liabilities to
the extent of £60,000 to X 70,000. Up to the previous day,
Mr. Nash entertained the hope of going on, but the:im-
possibility of obtaining discounts rendered his definitive
stoppage unavoidable. It is said that his assets are con-
siderable. Thirty years back Mr. Nash, being then
largely engaged in business, was compelled to suspend,
and upon a composition of Ios. in the pound a release
was granted by his creditors. Within eight years, how-
ever, of that event, he discharged in full the whole of
these claims, and he subsequently realized a handsome
fbrtune. Family losses, added to the pressure of the
times, are the causes of his second failure, and much
sympathy is felt for him. From other quarters the only
unfavourable announcement is that of White and Co., of
Waterford, timber and corn merchants, whose liabilities
are said to be from £40,000 to £50,000. One other large
London firm was obliged to suspend payment on Wed-
nesday; Messrs. Barclay, Brothers, and Co., merchants,
of Austin-friars, who had been-largely engaged in the
Mauritius trade. The liabilities of the firm are said to
be for £435,000. The head of the house is one of the
present members for Sunderland. On Tuesday, another
meeting of the creditors of Messrs. Sanderson and Co.
was held, and it is a source of congratulation that the af-
fairs of the firm become more favourable on each inquiry.

The creditors of Messrs. De Jersey and Co. have met at
Manchester. The firm offered monthly instalments of
25 per cent. to all the creditors, which was unanimously
accepted, and the house was congratulated upon the early
prospects• of its being again in a. sound position. The
Times of Saturday announced the failures of Mr. Had-
low and Mr. Oakley, on the Stock. Exchange, and the
suspension of Messrs. L. Phillips and Sons, merchants,
whose liabilities are stated at £70,000, whilst their assets
are £120,000. The failure of Messrs. Knapp and Co.,
bankers, Abingdon, has been announced. This bank was
one of issue, but its present circulation was only £29,316.
CHARGE Or ABDUCTION.—W. H. Kavanagh, 40, of
Brentwood Hall, Essex, was charged, on Friday, at the
Mansion House, with abduction. About three months
agora respectable family, resident in the neighbourhood.
of St. Paul's, was thrown into the greatest distress by the
disappearance of the eldest daughter. Advertisements
appeared in the newspapers ; and at length it was ascer-
tained that the girl had been ruined by the defendant,
who was unknown to her relatives, but had prevailed upon
her to leave her father's house by promising to marry'
her. The girl returned a few days ago ; and after having
in the most affecting manner expressed her sorrow and
contrition, said she had been. abandoned by the man, who
had sent a letter inclosing £5. The letter was dated
Dover, and was to the effect, that before she received it
the writer would be out of England. Mr. Kavanagh had
paid his addresses under the name of Kent ; but, by the
instrumentality of the bank-note, his real name and ad-
dress were discovered. The father of the girl ascer-
tained at the bank that the note had been paid at the
establishment on the 9th inst., to W. H. Kavanagh, of
the Adelaide hotel, Londnn-bridge. It was found that
Kavanagh, instead of having left town for France, had
slept at the Adelaide hotel on Sunday night, and that
he had contrived to get the letter referred to put into.
the Dover post-office.—The father of the girl stated that
on the 27th of July the prisoner took away his daughter
from home, without his knowledge, and until Wednesday
last she was not seen by any of her family,—The defen-
dant owned to having written the letter.—The landlord
of the house inDuke-street, in which the defendant re-
sided with the girl, stated that she was introduced as the
wife of the defendant: they had the drawing-room floor.
—The father of the girl said he had every reason to sup-
thme town.—A clerk from the London and Westminster
slaartgtehperwopeesrl
tyebdanodf
paoseemthbaetrthofe dsoefrnenedaantthwe
acsluabm-haonuosef
an account there, and had a large balance. The Bankcom-
plainant statednantcoutldhatnotth es
adye f
we nhdeat nh te r hadh s ford daughter
ugmanyh ter years
takkeepnt
away against her will, but the ease was most atrocious.
It had ruined the happiness of his family. The girl is 19.
—The Lord Mayor said the charge of abduction fell to
the ground, since she was above 16, and it could not be
said that therewas any compulsion used ; but the conduct
of the defendant had been base in the extreme.
PERILOUS. UNDERTAKING,—At the last meeting of the
town council, it was left to the work committee to accept
of the offer of a Mr. Wright, to ascend and bring down the
City Church vanes, for a very trifling sum, to have them
cleaned. The first, and most difficult and perilous part of
this extraordinary undertaking, being the vane of St.
Paul's was accomplished on Tuesday, in the presence of
thousands of spectators. Nothing could have been more
adventurous. The usual method of- throwing a rope over
the summit of the steeple by the working of a kite, had
failed, and he was necessitated to adept another plan. On
the west side of the steeple there are four sets of copper
spikes—two in each set—apparently distant from each
other about fifteen feet, the first set beginning about two
feet above the window of the belfry, and the last termi-
nating at the very apex of the steeple. Through the win-
dow of the belfry he hove a rope, and up that length he
sprung like a squirrel ; but here the first part of his diffi-
culty lay ; he had no tackling above him, and nothing to
raise himself farther up by than the mouldings of the
window. But he got over this, and placing himself be-
-evv ear' a pisffseev-Ie and-the steeple, on a standing room of
not, we should suppose, four inches, took a rest for
awhile. During the time he was taking a breath, we must
state that he had slung round his waist a rope and a light
but tough piece of wood, fifteen feet in length, having on
the end of it a strong rope with a running noose,. inge-
niously fastened thereto, for the purpose of raising it up,
and throwing it over the spikes before spoken of. This
essay at the first set of spikes was very successful. He
raised the stick, got the noose over, swung himself up, and
was seated upon. them in a few seconds ; but here the most
serious part of his work began. Seated upon two copper
spikes, projecting some twelve or fourteen inches (about
eighteen inches apart) from a nearly perpendicular wall,
barely able-to,move his head round, requiring to raise a
rod fifteen feet in length, with a rope attached to the end
of it, to the next two copper spikes fifteen feet or more
above him, keep his balance while doing so, swing himself
up, and repeat the same thing four times—who could have
supposed it practicable ! At the last set of spikes but one
the greatest apprehensions were entertained for the ad-
venturer's safety, and many spectators went away unable
to look on any longer He had three times been unable
to get the rope over the last set of spikes, and it was ap-
parent he was a good deal exhausted. Nevertheless, in
his fourth attempt he succeeded, and the feelings of the
multitude were relieved by their observing him clapping
his hands upon the steeple to cool them, and from the
calmness he manifested while he took a rest of two minutes.
Rested, he sprang up to the two last spikes, and grasping
the stalk of the vane with one hand, stretched out the
other in token of success. Three prodigious cheers were
sent up to him from the assemblage below, apparently
more relieved than himself by the issue. After fixing his
ropes to the top of the steeple, he descended to the street
in a minute. Mr. Wright is a young man, not much
above thirty we should suppose. He has the regular Jack
Tar build, and we believe he has been a sailor in her ma-
jesty's fleet; and from his performance on St. Paul's
steeple, which was managed with consummate coolness
and dexterity, we could imagine he had belonged to the
party who drank King George the Fourth's health on the
top of Cleopatra's Needle. He goes up the spire of St.
John's. Church next week.—Perth Courier.