The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-23 00:00:00

NEWFOUNDLAND..

Letters and papers from the colony have beeii received to
the 23d of May. The St. John's Public Ledger states that
a most horrible outrage has again been perpetrated there upon
an individual, whose only offence seems to have been that
he was employed in the office of a Protestant newspaper, as
overlooker of the workmen. These midnight legislators, it
will be remembered, some years ago seized upon the pub-
lisher of this paper, Mr. Winton, dragged him into the
woods, and mutilated his person in the most shocking man-
ner. On the night of the 13th February last, his overlooker,
Mr. Lott, was seized in a bye-street at night, whilst return-
ing home from his labour, forcibly conveyed to the secret
den of a party of conspirators, and interrogated, under cir-
cumstances of great intimidation, upon various matters con-
nected with his- employer's business. He was blindfolded,
the room to which he was taken was lined with white calico
even to the ceiling, so as to prevent identity, and his exa-
examiners were two men disguised in black gowns.
Their principal object appears to have been to ascertain
the circulation of the paper, the amount of the contribution,
and whether Mr. Winton carried fire-arms on his person, or
kept them in his house. He was told that his master and
others like him would, perhaps, find out that there was a
Riband society in the colony, equally as terrible as ever it
was in Ireland ; that Mr. Winton would soon find his house
too hot to hold him ; and that, if he dared to divulge one
word of what had transpired, an unseen and unknown hand
should be in his way. His eyes were then again blindfolded;
he was led forth, and having been conducted a considerable
distance by a circuitous route, was released, his guard ab-
sconding. He, however, deposed to all the facts before the
magistrates.

In consequence of the deposition of Mr. Lott as to his be-
lief, arising from various circumstances, that the house of
one Delaney, situated about half a mile out of the town, was
that to which he had been blindfolded and led, the house was
examined, but there was no satisfactory evidence that the
suspicions were correct. But Delaney is one of the door-
keepers of the House of Assembly ; and forthwith the As-
sembly affecting to be indignant that the dwelling-house of
one of their servants should be searched, even by the officers
of the peace, under a warrant, appointed a committee of in-
quiry, and at the same time several of the members of the
Assembly, in their places in the house, used the strongest
terms of vituperation and abuse ,respecting the young man,
whose story they pretented to disbelieve.
The magistrates who had taken their depositions also fell
under their censure, and the house reduced their salaries
£lOO a year each, which sum was, however, subsequently
restored through the apprehension of damaging themselves
with the Home Government. _ _

On the 15th of May, Lott, who had been to Carbonear on
the business of his employer, was returning to St. John's,
via Harbour Grace, when, in precisely the same place where
Mr. Winton was mutilated, he was seized by four men, dis-
guised. and also had his ears cut from his head, and was
otherwise most brutally treated. We take an extract from
his deposition :
He states that he met two women on the road, near a
small house on the left hand side of the road on the top of
Saddle-hill, going towards Carbonear, and in about ten
minutes afterwards, when near the large house in the valley,
which deponent has since heard belongs to David Connors,
two men, disguised with black crape over their faces, ran out
of a thicket of wood on the right hand side of the road, and
immediately afterwards two more men disguised in a similar
way ran out of the woods on the same side of the road, when
one of the two last men said, " Long looked for is come at
last." Deponent, seeing that the said four men were intent
to molest and assault him, drew a sword from a walking-stick
which he had with him, and endeavoured to force a passage
through them towards Harbour Grace, and, raising the
sword, he desired them to keep off, and not to touch him.
Two of them then advanced towards deponent, when depo-
nent struck one of them a blow across his face with the
sword, which cut the said person. and caused blood to flow
from his face. The man so cut cried out, " Blood, blood,
you b— !" when another of the said four men struck depo-
nent a violent blow with his fist, which knocked deponent
down, and he was laid hold of by the said four men and
dragged some distance into the woods on the opposite side
of the road. Deponent endeavoured to call out for assist-
ance, when they stuffed his ears and mouth full of earth or
dirt, and one of the said persons kept his hand on depo-
nent's mouth to prevent him speaking. They then took
a large stone and beat deponent with it about his head
until he became quite insensible of what they were doing.
Deponent must have remained in this state for a consider-
able time, when, on the return of his senses, he found him-
self alone, his hands and face covered with blood, and soon
discovered that both his ears had been cut off, and were
bleeding profusely. Deponent then mustered all the strength
he could, and got into the road, endeavouring to proceed to
Harbour Grace, but from weakness and loss of blood soon
fell down. While lying on the road he was overtaken by a
man who had on a short jacket, to whom deponent called as
well as he was able, and begged him to afford deponent as-
sistance. He at first manifested some reluctance, but at
length came and raised deponent up, and led him a few yards
towards Harbour Grace, and then left him, and went down a
road by the side of a fence, on the south side of Carbouear-
road, nearly opposite the house said to belong to Connors.
Deponent at the moment the said man left him met another
person going towards Carbonear, who had on a brown body
coat. None of the said four men had either hats or caps on.
The man whom deponent struck with the sword had an old
body coat very much worn, and deponent is certain the blow
he so gave him has left a mark on his face, and deponent
thinks it is on the right side. This deponent further saith,
that upon leaving Carbonear this day, he had in his trousers
pocket seven dollars, and in his waistcoat pockets six dollars ;
before reaching the Court-house at Harbour Grace, de-
ponent discovered that the seven dollars in his trousers
pockets were missing, and deponent verily believes that the
four men aforesaid robbed him of the said seven dollars.

The Public Ledger, in noticing these monstrous outrages,
says, " His excellency the governor, we observe, has issued
a proclamation, offering a reward of £3OO for the apprehen-
sion of the perpetrators ; but we are mistaken if by far the
better plan would not have been immediately to send round
a sufficient force to scour the country for miles around the
scene of this transaction, leaving not one rood of ground un-
trodden, nor any house unsearched, to which the slightest
suspicion could possibly be attached ; for it will be remem-
bered, that although the sum of £l5OO was offered for the
discovery of the parties guilty of waylaying in the same spot,
and mutilating, Mr. \Vinton in the same manner just five
years ago, nothing whatever has hitherto transpired to lead
to their conviction !" _

St. John's was in an alarming state of excitement owing to
the election, which was going on, of a member of the House
of Assembly, to serve for the district of St. John's, in the
room of Mr. Patrick Morris, promoted to the Legislative
Council. There were two candidates in the field, Mr. Doug-
las and Mr. O'Brien, and although the more respectable por-
tion of the public were really indifferent as to the result, yet
the struggle had created some interest, from the unexpected
coming out of the Romish bishops and the priests supporting
the cause of Mr. O'Brien, who is a Roman Catholic, against
that of Mr. Douglas, who is not one ; the more enlightened
of the Roman Catholics taking part with Douglas, and
therefore opposing the priests, whose influence over them
in their secular matters they appear to be determined to
put an end to. But few of the protestants have mixed them-
selves up in the affair. By the latest accounts of the state of
the poll Mr. Douglas was six in advance. The conduct of
the priests on this occasion has been most disgraceful. They
appear to have had no other nor better object than that of
sustaining their influence over the minds of the people upon
matters with which it was unnecessary for them to meddle.
They made their appearance, both dpon and in the neigh-
bourhood of the hustings, with whips in their hands, flogging
the refractory into terms of subjection ; and they appear
not only to have banded men together for the purpose of sys-
tematic aggression, but to have incited to bloodshed, if not to
murder itself ! Indeed, the matter had become so serious,
that it was difficult to say what would be the result. Deposi-
tions were taken at the police-office—one from the poll-clerk
himself—all tending to show that there could not by poss;bi-
lity be anything like freedom in the election, and it was ex-
pected that military protection would be granted.

PARLIAMENTARY REGISTRATION.
CONSERVATIVES !
REMEMBER THE TWENTIETH OF JULY !!

Lord John Russell's tampering with the reform act can
have no effect on the approaching registration. The old sys-
tem will therefore be pursued. Let conservatives bear in
mind that, if we have no election before the 20th of July,
there will be one immediately afterwards ; and should the
whigs dissolve the parliament prior to that date, it is not
improbable that .Sir Robert Peel may find it necessary to
follow their example before the registration of 1841. Atten-
tion, therefore, to these requirements is absolutely necessary
to that brilliant success which is awaiting the friends of the
protestant constitution.
The qualification is the occupation of a house, warehouse,
counting house, shop, or other building within the borough,
of the clear annual value of ten pounds, twelve months pre-
vious to the 31st of July.
' The occupant must reside within seven miles of the bo-
rough. The rates and taxes due must be paid previous to
the 20th of July, and the occupant must be rated in his own
name.

Joint occupiers arc also entitled to be registered, under
the same stipulations, provided also that the share of each oc-
cupant be of the clear yearly value of ten pounds.

COUNTY VOTERS.

Voters who were on the list last year are not required to
make a fresh claim, if they possess the same qualification,
and reside in the same place, as they did when the last regis-
try was made; but if they have changed their place of resi-
dence, or any change has taken place in the nature of the
qualification, it will be necessary for them to send in fresh
claims, and to pay the registration fee in the same manner
as though they had never been registered.
Blank forms of claims may be had on application to the
overseers.

The following is a brief abstract of the qualification for
county voters :77

Property qualifying County Voters, if they possess a suifi-
inar
ehs
eue
hnmo
ldoi payableleasehold,
money
lt
duo,pf
oonr
lland.land,
d,ift
eient Interest.
BCAHuNIANLRuDGITNLGEss--f
copyhold.ie owner of
such charge be in the actual occupation of the property
charged.
COMMON—rights of.
LANDS—freehold, leasehold, or copyhold.
MINES—of coal, ironstone, &c.
pEws—if the act of parliament for building the church in
which they are declares them to be freehold of inheritance.
RENTS—rent charges, chief rents, fee farm rents, ground
rents.
SHARKS—in navigable rivers, canals, &c., if held as real
prgerty.
TITHES—held by clergymen or laymen.
TOLLS—of markets or fairs.
It is not generally, known as it ought to be, that according
to the 26th clause of the reform act, the owners of property,
acquired by descent, succession, marriage, marriage settle-
ment, devise, promotion to any benefice in the church, or
promotion to any office, are entitled to vote (the same being
claimed before the 20th of July), although the same property
may have come into possession of the parties an hour pre-
vious to the day of registration. The prevailing notion, that
six months' possession is necessary, is altogether erroneous.
For freehold land and buildings, the requisite clear annual
value is forty shillings, with six months' possession previous
to the 31st of July.
For freehold land and buildings for life or lives, as a cor-
poration lease for lives and years, the requisite clear annual
value is ten pounds, with six months' possession, except
when the property is in the actual possession of the owner,
or acquired by marriage settlement, devise, &c., or of which
he was seized on the 7th June, 1832, in which case forty
shillings is sufficient.
A house, warehouse, counting-house, or shop, within the
borough, and of ten pounds annual value, will not give a
county vote to the owner, if in his own occupation.
For copyhold property, the requisite clear annual value is
ten pounds, with six months' possession. If within the
borough, will not give a county vote.
For the lessee or assignee of an original term of fifty years,
however small the residue of the term, the requisite annual
value is ten pounds, with twelve months possession. If within
the borough, will not confer a county vote.
For the lessee or assignee of a term of twenty years, how-
ever small the residue, and the occupier of lands, &c, at an
annual rent, the requisite yearly value is fifty pounds, with
twelve months possession. If within the borough, will not
give a county vote.
Mortgagees or trustees in actual possession or receipt of
rents and profits to their own use, may register according to
to the nature of the property.
Conservatives ! remember the twentieth of July, and the
calls of your country, 'religion, and laws

SKETCHES OF LIVERPOOL AND ITS VICINITY,

NO. VIII.
(Written for the Liverol Standard.)

RUNCORN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD CONTINUED.-HAL-
TON, HALTON CASTLE, &C.
Halton Castle is the most conspicuous object in the envi-
rons of Runcorn, and lies to the eastward of it, about a mile
and a half distant. The few ruins that remain of this once
stately edifice are situated on the top of a conically shaped
hill, round which, at about half its height, and at the base or
spring of the steeper part of the hill, the village of Halton
forms a circle or belt, chiefly of detached houses, farm-steads
and cottages. From the extensive views which are obtained
from the site of the castle, it is the frequent resort, during
the summer months, of visitors not only from Runcorn, but
from Warrington, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, and other
towns in its neighbourhood.
There are several roads from Runcorn to Halton, but the
most direct is by the lane running from the outskirts of the
town, for some distance close to the Duke of Bridgewater's
canal, leaving the windmill (which is remarkable for two
white and two brown sails) on the right. The visitor will
thence see the castle before him, and may proceed by the
same road to Halton village ; but about three quarters of a
mile further on, near a brook, the pedestrian may strike into
a pleasant and more direct footpath on the right hand. The
Castle-hill is accessible on every side by the several roads
to Halton from Preston Brook, Warrington, Runcorn, Frod-
sham, and Chester, via 'Rock Savage,. &c. The hill slopes
all round up to the village in an easy acclivity, affording pleas-
ing views from every point, after which it rises more abruptly,
and in some parts precipitously. Orchards and gardens in
the village, and steep grassy banks, and trees even to the top
of the hill above it, give it an appearance of verdure and
warmth seldom found on isolated hills of such height in this
country. In this and in other respects Halton Castle greatly
resembles its more northern neighbour, Hoghton Tower,
once :Aso a place of strength and importance, and presenting,
too, an enviable site for the modernized mansion of some
" good old English gentleman," or distinguished family, de-
voted to the enjoyment of refined pleasures, and the hospita-
lities of the " olden times."