The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

CHESHIRE AND WALES.

A CHESTER YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIA-
TION has just been formed, under the management of the
Rev. Chancellor Raikes (president) and an efficient com-
mittee.

HOLYHEAD.—The liberal charities usually given by the
Hon. Mr. and Mrs. W. 0. Stanley, of Penthos, to the
poor of Holyhead and the neighbourhood, have not been
less than on former occasions. Upwards of 200 poor
people have received raiment and bed clothes.

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic for the
week ended January 9, 1853 :—Railway : Passengers, par-
cels, &c., £1,883 4s. 4d. ; Goods, £844 10s. Od. ;
Steam-boats : passengers, parcels, &c., £l9! 9s. 6d.—
Total, £2,919 3s. 10d.—Increase compared with the corre-
sponding week last year, £525 14s. 2d.

DISCOVERY OF A HUMAN SKELETON. --- As some
labourers were employed at a new road in the fields,
belonging to Mr. Potts, Chester, between Brimstage and
Thornton, they discovered a hum'an skeleton. The head
had been placed in an earthen pot, feet upwards. On
touching it, the teeth fell out, and the hair came off. The
sex could not be distinguished.

ROBBERY AT TRANMERE.—On Sunday evening week
the house of Mr. Bathow, Old Chester-road, LowerTran-
mere, was entered during the absence of the family at
church. The thieves ransacked the premises, even turn-
ing up all the beds in search for money. They missed
half-a-dozen silver spoons which were wrapped in paper
in one of the drawers, but took away two silk dresses
and a cloth coat.

THE RIVER DEE.—In the apathy of the people of
Chester, and the neglect of the River Dee Company,
with respect to the river, it is satisfactory to be enabled
to state that, owing to the wettest season that has been
known for forty years, and during all the down-pouring of
fourteen weeks, in which there have not been four and
twenty hours without rain, the Dee is in a better condi-
tion for the purposes of navigation than for a considerable
time past.—Chester Chronicle.

ST. DAVID'S COLLEGE.—The late Mr. Thomas Phillips,
of Brunswick-square, London, hasleft about X 6,000 for the
purpose of foundinga Professorship oe the Physical Sciences
in this College, and the Rev. Joseph Matthews, M.A.,
of St. John's College, Cambridge, whose recommenda-
tions are of a very high character, has been elected to the
office. With this handsome bequest Mr. Phillips closed
a series of munificent donations, which for some years
have testified his interest in the colleges of the princi-
pality. To his generosity it has been indebted for the
enlargement of the library by the addition of more than
22,000 volumes, including many works of high value. A
few years before his death he also conveyed to St. David's
College £4,800 to found six scholarships for the benefit of
the natives of Wales and Monmouthshire.
HOUSE ROBBERY AT BROMBRO'.—Another daring
house robbery has been perpetrated at Brombro'. The
mistress of the charity school, during the Christmas vaca-
tion, had left her house (which is attached to the school-
room) in the care of some friends, who, at noon on Tues-
day last, were absent on business. During this temporary
absence, a well-known Liverpool deperado, named Henry
Benson, forcibly entered the dwelling, and was busily
occupied in helping himself to a quantity of valuable pro-
perty, when he was discovered. He escaped by the back
door, and in his flight threw some of his booty over a
hedge. He was soon captured, and in his possession were
found a gold brooch, a silver bracelet, two shawls, and
some beads, which he had stolen from the house. He was
conveyed to Birkenhead bridewell, and on Wednesday
brought before J. D. Case, Esq., and committed to trial.
BIRKENHEAD PROSPECTS.—The progress of prosperity
in the town of Birkenhead seems again likely to revive.
An arrangement, it is said, has been come to between Mr.
J. Laird, the extensive iron shipbuilder, and the Dock
and Warehouse Company, for a large plot of land on
the margin of the Great Float on lease, which will enable
Mr. Laird to carry on his works on a more extended scale
than hitherto. The terms, it is said, are liberal, and will
eventually prove a source of no mean revenue to the
company. From the well-known character of Mr. Laird's
steamers, too, it may reasonably be inferred that, with
increased facilities, larger and more numerous orders will
crowd upon him, It is also said that the building-yard of
Mr. Wilson, near Birkenhead Ferry, will soon be again in
active operation. The dock works will be proceeded with
in an active and spirited manner as soon as the weather
becomes more settled. Already more hands have been
engaged by the contractor, and no time will be lost in the
completion of works sufficient to render the Great Float
available for the largest craft that may visit our port.
GRovE House, WREXHAM.--The admirable educa-
tional establishment at the Grove, adjoining the town of
Wrexham, is under the personal superintendence of M.
Sibson, Esq., and his lady. At the recent Christmas va-
cation the Rev. Mr. Cunliffe, and the Rev. Mr. Davies,
the vicar and curate of the parish, came into the school-
room without any previous notice, and examined the boys
in their classical attainments, and the branches of a prac-
tical education for business pursuits. The answers given
to the questions were ready, apt, and correct ; and the
reverend gentlemen expressed themselves much pleased
with the progress made by the boys. The upper classes
proved that they understood the classical authors, while
their readiness at mental arithmetic, and their beautiful
penmanship, did the highest credit to themselves and their
teachers. It is a point of school discipline here to require
an abstract or epitome of the sermons they hear at church,
and on inspecting these the reverend vicar was much
struck with the attention the boys must have evidently
paid to his exhortations, by the manner in which their
main points had been remembered and reproduced.

A BALL HOAX.—Last week bills were posted and ad-
vertisements inserted in the newspapers, headed " The
Birkenhead Chemists' Dancing Academy," announcing
that a " grand ball for the re-opening of the above as-
sembly" would be held in the Craven-rooms, Birkenhead,
on Tuesday last. To the astonishment of several respec-
table chemists, tickets were sent to their shops for sale,
although they had previously not the slightest knowledge
of such an "assembly" being in existence. On Tuesday
morning, however, a disclaimer appeared in the shape of
placards and advertisements, signed by Mr. M`Dougall,
as secretary of the Philosophical Society (chiefly composed
of chemists), and by Mr. Foulkes, on behalf of the che-
mists generally, denying that they had any connexion with
the affair in question. The consequence was, that, on
Tuesday evening, the " ball committee" found themselves
in an unpleasant " fix ;" for, although an excellent qua-
drille band was in attendance, no votaries of Terpsichore
presented themselves to mingle in the delights of the
dance. Matters continued in this state until about
eleven o'clock, some three hours after the time fixed
for dancing to commence, when " the committee "
made up their minds to be as jovial as possible
under the melancholy circumstances; and, with a few
personal friends, sat down to discuss a substantial sup-
per, which had been provided in anticipation of a thronged
attendance.

J. SHERIDAN KNOWLES, Esq., author of " Virginius,"
has agreed to deliver two lectures on Popery, in the city
of Glasgow, in February.
BANKRUPTCY STATISTICS.—The annexed return ex-
hibits the number of Bankruptcies gazetted in each year,
from 1842 to 1852 inclusive :

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