The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-31 00:00:00

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE (subject to the decision of
the Council) have agreed to purchase the old gas-office, in
Dale-street, for 18,000 guineas.
AT WIGAN the employers of the operative joiners have
announced that the strike has now terminated, by a con-
cession on the part of the masters to all the demands of
their workmen.

THE MAYOR, on Tuesday, entertained at dinner, in
celebration of her Majesty's birth-day, a party of from
50 to GO gentlemen, principally of those holding official
public situations in town. . . .

•
MADRIGALS.—The members of the Liverpool Amateur
Glee and Madrigal Union will give their fourth perform-
ance on Wednesday next at the Assembly-rooms, Great
George-street.

ITALIAN OPERA IN LIVERPOOL.—We understand
that Mr. Copeland is making arrangements for introducing
the Italian Opera into this town, and that a talented
company will shortly appear at the Theatre Royal, upon
the same principle as the French plays recently pro-
duced at that establishment.

NEW Snips.—Messrs. Denny and Rankin have
launched a handsome iron ship for Mr. James Smith, of
this town. The vessel's length is 115 feet ; her breadth
amidships 30 feet ; and her tonnage 783 tons register.
She is to be commanded by Captain Inglis,and is destined
for the Australian trade. A barque of 322 tons, has been
launched by the same firm for Mr. John Anderson, of
this town.

STREET ATTACKS.—On Wednesday night a man, re-
siding at Bootle, was kno ked down in Waterloo-road by
two men and a woman, who stole a German silver watch
of trifling value ; and on Thursday night a man, named
Morris Jones, was attacked in Bev ington-bush by two
men and a woman, who robbed him of £1 9s. The
ruffians drew a knife in the scuffle, and Jones was slightly
wounded.

.-•••••••••••
THE— BRAZILIERA steamer has received her masts and
her boilers, and great progress is making with the
machinery, so that she may he expected to keep her time
of sailing as announced. Mr. Cox, late chief officer of
the Great Britain steam-ship, is to take the command of
one of the Brazilian vessels, and certainly much may be
expected from the hieh standing of this gentleman as a
seaman and navigator.

SUDDEN DEATH IN CORNWALLIS-STREET BATHS.—
On Friday, about half-past eight o'clock in the evening,
a young man named Brough, residing in flope-street,ex-
pired while taking a warm bath in the above establi,h-
ment. He had been in the room about twenty minutes,
when some moanings being heard, a person inquired at
the door, if he required any thing, and not receiving an
answer forced open the door, when the young man was
found sitting in the bath quite dead.
THE GREAT BRITAIN.—The masts for this ship are
now in course of erection, and in a short time she will be
seen with her yards crossed. The foremast and main-
mast are alike, each mast is made out of three logs of
pine, strongly bolted and hooped with iron rings. These
masts are 99 feet long, 40 inches in diameter, and about
ten feet in circumference, being the largest masts ever
made in this town. The bottom of the ship has been
thoroughly cleansed and painted, and ;the vessel is now
ready to receive her new screw.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—A shocking accident happened
on Thursday night, at the Lea-gate station of the Preston
and Wyre branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Rail-
way. The passengers in a Fleetwood train were thrown
into a panic by the proximity of an express train from
Preston, and by the shouting of one of the officials to a
man to get out of the way, and made a rush across the
line to escape the seeming danger. Mr. Holden, a cotton-
spinner, of Chorley, and a servant girl, not being quick
enough, were caught by the approaching express train,
and almost cut to pieces.

PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE.—On Friday afternoon, as
Dr. Mitchell, of Duke-street, accompanied by his servant,
was driving into Grove-street, from Bloom-street, his
horse, a spirited young animal, took fright, and attempted
to leap over one of the palisadings in front of the houses
in that street. In doing so, however, he struck against
the gate, and his feet got entangled inside of the rails.
Dr. Mitchell and his servant were thrown violently out of
the gig, but received very little injury. The horse, how-
ever, was seriously damaged, and the gig smashed.

- - -
ROBBERY BY A WAITER.—Henry Roberts, a young
man, who had been waiting at the house of Mr. Stephen
Carr. Rose-hill, took the liberty, on Tuesday, of appro-
priating to his own use a sum of £4 55., the property of
his host, which the latter bad incautiously left on his
table. After taking the money, Roberts made a precipi-
tate retreat from the house. In the course of the evening
he was found in a public-house in London-road, with a
considerable portion of the stolen money in his possession.
He was brought before the magistrates on Wednesday,
and committed for trial at the sessions.

CHARGE AGAINST PILOTS.—The captain of the steam-
tug Colchester, John Frederick Wilson, when out with
his steamer, on Tuesday afternoon, near the Bell Buoy,
discovered the dead body of a man, in the dress of a sailor,
floating in the water. The body was much decomposed,
but the captain nevertheless got it on board, brought it
ashore, and deposited it in the receiving-house. An
inquest was held on Wednesday, but the body could not
be identified. Captain Wilson informed the court that he
was advised by some of the hands of No. 9 Pilot-boat to
tie something to the body and sink it, as that was the way
they always did. The coroner characterised such advice
and conduct of the pilots as infamous ; and said he would
take care that the Pilots Committee should be made
acquainted with the captain's statement. The jury
acquiesced.
THE COAL FIELDS OF LANCASHIRE.—The Lancashire
coal fields produce about 4,000,000 tons annually, viz., in
the Wigan districts, 2,000,000; Bolton, 1,000,000; and
St. Helen's, I,ooo,ooo,—altogether covering an area of
600 square miles. The cost of getting and raising it to
the surface in Lancashire averages less by is. 6d. per ton
than it does in the Newcastle and Durham districts, the
average depth of the pits being only 875 feet here, against
1,500 feet there. The average cost of carriage from the
Lancashire pits to Liverpool, distance twenty-four miles,
is 2s. per ton, being 9d. per ton less than those of
Northumberland and Durham to the eastern seaports.
The varieties of coal found in Lancashire are said to ex-
ceed in number those found in Durham and Northumber-
land, which amount to 175.—Mining Journal.
A REFRACTORY SEAMAN.—Yesterday, at the Police-
court, a sailor, named William Chaffer, a foreigner, one
of the crew on board an outward-bound vessel, now lying
in Salthouse Dock, was placed before the magistrates,
charged with disorderly and violent conduct on board the
vessel, on Saturday evening. It appeared from the com-
plainant's statement that the prisoner's conduct on board
was so violent on Saturday evening that he (complainant)
called for the assistance of the police, who took him into
custody. The officer stated to the bench yesterday that,
when he took the prisoner into custody, the latter pulled
a knife out of his pocket, saying that the captain was a
bad man, and threatening to cut his throat. On the
officer telling him that he would be hanged for it, he re-
plied that "be had a strong. neck, and did not care for
that." In answer to the magistrates, the captain said he
should be afraid of his life if the prisoner went on board
again. He was, therefore, bound over to keep the peace
for nine days, (when it is expected the vessel will sail,)
himself in £lO and two sureties in £5 each, or a mouth's
imprisonment.

A DEED WITHOUT A NAME.—On Tuesday, in the
County Court, Mr. J. B. Yates sought to recover from
Hugh Hughes the sum of £1 15s. 2d. Previous to 1848,
Mr. Yates had been in the habit of selling land for build-
ing purposes, and advancing money to enable the pur-
chasers to build. He had advanced the defendant a sum
of upwards of £lO,OOO. The latter became embarrassed,
and Mr. Yates wished him to execute a deed of release
from existing contracts; but the defendant left the coun-
try, and did not return for five years. On his return,
Mr. Yates again wished him to sign the deed, which he
had prepared on a 355. stamp, and sent him. He, how-
ever, declined to do so • and, when written to on the
' sub-
ject, cut the stamp off the deed, and returned it in a letter
to Mr. Yates. The stamp-office refused to return the
.355., and the action was brought to recover the deed, or
the value of the stamp. His Honour ordered the deed to
be returned, otherwise a verdict should be entered for the
plaintiff for the full amount.
THE AFRICAN MAILS.—The African Mail Steam
Company's packet-ship Faith, Commander James Par-
sons, sailed on Tuesday from Plymouth, on her second
voyage, with mails for Teneriffe, Sierra Leone, and thewest
coast of Africa. She has a full general cargo, and about
20 passengers. The boilers of the Faith are for the first
time heated with anthracite coal, by which it is expected a
saving in the cost of fuel of nearly two-fifths will be ob-
tained, and., as less coal is required, a considerable saving
in labour is also expected. Anthracite coal by the or-
dinary mode of burning, produces little or no flame, and
tequires an immense draught. To obtain this draught on
board the Faith, a large steam pipe is connected with the
steam-chest at the top of the boiler, and is brought down
in front of the furnaces, into which steam can be thus ad-
mitted at the discretion of the engineer. The admission
of the steam produces flame and causes an intense fierce-
ness in the fires, which leads, of course, to the speedy pro-
duction of steam for the propulsion of the ship. Messrs.
M'Kean and M'Clarty, of Liverpool, have adopted the
new system, it is said successfully, on board their steam-
ships Genova, Livornia, and Watcrwitch.
LORD'S DAY OBSERVANCA.—On Friday last petitions,
numerously signed, against the opening of the Crystal
Palace on the Lord's Day, were presented in the House
of Commons by Mr. C. Turner from the body of Welsh
Calvinists resident in Liverpool; from the congregation
of St. Andrew's Scotch Church, Rodney-street ; and
from the congregation of the Oldham-street Scotch
Church. Before the Whitsuntide recess similar petitions
were presented in the House of Commons from St.
Bride's, St. Barnabas's, St. Bartholomew's, St. Clement's,
St. John's, St, Matthew's, Hill-street, All Saints, St.
Thomas's, Warwick-street, St. Stephen the Martyr's,
St. Mark's, and Edge. hill district; from Christ Church, and
St. Peter's, Everton. To the House of Lords, from St.
Saviour's, St. Martin's, and from St. Matthew's, Scotland -
road. The Wesleyans of the Liverpool northern and
southern circuits also had a petition presented to the.
Legislature to the same effect; and there was a general
petition, highly respectably signed by the inhabitants of
Liverpool, presented in the House of Commons against
the opening of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham on the
Lord's Day.
GRATIFYING TESTIMONIAL.—Mr. David Falconer and
Mr. Joseph Miller, who have been for several years active
Sunday-school teachers in connexion with St. .Paul's
church, having determined to enter the ministry, their
friends were desirous of marking, in some suitable manner,
For
the high esteem in which they were held by
.1)
this purpose a most interesting meeting of tee teachers
fr Grantham s, on
and other friends took place
in a most Wednesday last. The Rev. Dra.tAlN. ;He,
ap-
propriate address, gave important a ice to the gentlemen
who were about to enter upon what he termed, " the
most glorious calling a man could be engaged in," and
also encouraged those upon whom the duty of Sunday-
school teaching devolved, and ended in an impressive
manner by presenting each gentleman with a handsomely
bound quarto edition of Bagster's Bible, having the fol-
lowing inscription, beautifully written by Mr. Cherry, of
the Collegiate Institution :—" In affectionate remem-
brance of his uniform kindness and untiring zeal, as a
teacher of St. Paul's Sunday-school ; presented by the
ministers and teachers on the occasion of his leaving to
enter the ministry." Dr. M'Neile added the test Ist
Timothy, 4th chop', 12th to 15th verse.