The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-29 00:00:00

AMPHITIIIIATAE.—Mr. Egerton takes hie benefit at this
theatre on Monday night, when Mr. Hoskins will make his
appearance "for that night only." A new nautical drama
is in preparation, which has had a tremendous run at the
Surrey Theatre, London.

Conic TOWN COUNCIL.—At the municipal election for the
city of Cork, on Monday last, fifty-eight radicals and only
six conservatives were returned. This is the first election
under the Irish Municipal Reform Bill, about which so much
sensation was created at the time of its passing the houses of
parliament.

EXPLOSION OF Gas.—Yesterday morning, about six
o'clock, an explosion of gas took place at the house of Mr.
Piper's, 55, Windsor-street, Toxteth-park. It appears that
Mrs. Piper was awoke by a strong smell of gas, and she in-
stantly got up and proceeded with a lighted candle to the
room from which she imagined the smell proceeded, and sud-
denly an explosion took place, shattering the top room win-
dows, and forcing the lobby wall. The hinges of the back
parlour door were wrenched away, and the house literally
shook throughout. Fortunately, Mrs. Piper and all the fa-
mily escaped any serious injury, excepting the burning of her
eyelashes, &c. The shock was heard in the neighbourhood
for some distance. It is sunoosed that the gas had been in-
cautiously suffered to escape in the parlour all night, and
ascending to the top rooms, the ignition took place there in•
stantaneously.

THE NEWS FROM AmmucA.—Though the anxiety about
the trial of INl`Leod is considerably diminished since the in.
telligence brought by the George Washington, much interest
still exists about the probable effect of the result of the trial
on the inhabitants, who are represented as being so extremely
sensitive as to the acquittal or condemnation of toe prisoner.
It was expected that the trial would continue about a week
beyond the period brought by the last advices, which would
assign the 11th or 12th instant as the day on which the case
would terminate. This would afford ample time for the in-
telligence to reach Halifax prior to the leaving of the Acadia
on the evening of the 18th instant. The Acadia may be ex-
pected this morning or by the evening's tide, having now
been out about ten days and a half. We are quite prepared
for a second edition if she makes her appearance before four
o'clock.

THE FRANKLIN PRINTING PRESS.—We are informed
that, in consequence of the unfavourable state of the weather
during the past week, the owner of this interesting relic has
concluded to allow it to be seen during Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday, of next week, from 12 a.m. till 9 p.m.,
during which hours the press will continue working; it will
therefore be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 3rd, at 9 p.m., to
prepare for a private exhibition to the mayor and a number
of invited friends of the owner on Thursday, after which it
is to be immediately repacked and despatched to America.
The public will hereafter be admitted by applying at the
door of the Medical Institution, Mount-pleasant ; and we
hope that they will prove their gratification at seeing the old
press, by liberal contributions to the Printers' Pension So-
ciety, for which object a box is deposited in the same room.
MR. ROBINSON'S LECTURES.—Mr. Robinson commenced
a course of lectures upon picturesque scenery, at the Portico,
on Tuesday evening last. Mr. Robinson commenced by
describing the shape of the earth, the origin of the tides, the
appearance of the moon, and other matters connected there-
with ; he then drew the attention of the audience to numerous
phenomena, and descanted upon the beauties of scenery in
various countries. His remarks were extremely plain and
matter of fact. He conveyed to his auditory in a very simple
mode the great truths of nature, and he illustrated his lecture
by very clever views, designs, &c., which appeared and dis-
appeared in a very singular manner. We can recommend
our readers, and especially those who have the care of the
adolescent, to attend Mr. Robinson's lectures ; they, as well
as their young charges, will be edified, instructed, and enter-
tained. The next lecture takes place this evening.
MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.—On Wednesday evening the
theatre of this institution was crowded to excess to hear Mr.
Sheridan Knowles lecture on the drama. It is very long
since we have heard anything that has given us such pleasure ;
and we are confident that all those who listened to the elo-
quent, enthusiastic, and admirable poet,. must have expe-
rienced the same delight in bearing him. He traced the
origin of the drama from its very fountain head, 1:1-.2,2 he
tracked the course of the stream to the Greek and Latin
poets. He commented upon the unities of time and place,
and gave instances where they were violated by the ancients,
although they have been so highly extolled for their adhe-
rence to them. Sheridan Knowles—for we cannot " Mister"
a man so familiar to us—then recited in a fine and chaste
style specimens of the ancient drama. He afterwards, in
showing that an obedience to the unities would have marred
our best dramas and crippled the imaginative poets, drew
attention to the characters of Shakspeare, and pronounced a
strong eulogium upon him. He painted the character of
Juliet in terms that drew forth the most enthusiastic applause,
While his pourtrayal of Macbeth's character was vivid in the
e ttreme. He closed the lecture by reciting his own charming
poem of the Smuggler. We were glad to see Mr. Knowles
looking so well, and he appeared gratified by his most cordial
reception. The next lecture takes place to-morrow, when,
no doubt, there will be a still greater attendance ; and we
can safely promise that those who will be present will have
such a mental treat as they have not enjoyed for years. We
Intended to have given this delightful lecture at length, but
circumstances have prevented us.

A BEGGING IMPOSTOR.—A man of rather decent ex-
terior, who had recently been tried, convicted, and im-
prisoned, under the name of M'lnlay ; but who now
" hailed" as Charles Copeland, was yesterday placed at the
bar of the Police-court, on a charge of begging by means of
a forged letter. Mr. Jones, a gentleman whose testimony
was heard from the bench, stated, that the prisoner had
come to him with a letter, purporting to be written by Mr.
Pilcherd, representing him as an individual of merit, and
worthy of pecuniary assistance ; the prisoner's object being,
as he suspected, to obtain money on false pretences, he gave
him into custody. Mr. Pilcherd was sent for, and said that
the letter was not written by him, and that he was not aware
he had ever seen the prisoner before. Mr. Dowling pro-
duced a letter, found amongst others in the prisoner's pos-
session. It was couched in the mysterious slang phrase of
the fraternity of those who live by their wits, and the reading
of parts of it excited some curiosity. It appeared to have
been intended for a brother chip in Kidderminster, named
•` New," but had been intercepted by the apprehension of
the writer. The following are some few extracts :—" I find
that all the larkers have been equally unfortunate, so I have
no reason to complain." Alluding to a person whom he
calls " the Don," he says—" if he wanted my assistance I
would readily go to the pawnshop to raise money for him.
About negrohead tobacco I have inquired the price ; best
cavendish rolls 4s. fid„ negro-head 4s. 3d. per lb. If you
want any 4s. will do. I shall not be able to come to Kid-
derminster before February ; and Ned, when you see me, I
think you will see me a slap-up crocus. What think you of
it? I don't think but it is the best trade yet. lam in good
condition at present, considering I have been in so long. I
had a few pounds sent from home to me when I came out,
so I was not so Ladly off as if I had nothing to do. lam
getting a pound here in the square, and will leave for Man-
chester in ten or twelve days. if you want any tobacco
write to me soon, and mention whether it is negro-head or
cavendish—that is, round or flat." The letter was signed
simply " Mac." The prisoner said the letter was not his.
Mr. Rushton said he thought the prisoner would not so soon
have forgotten his incarceration, and sentenced him to threw
months' imprisonment.
MR. ANDr.RSON'S STATUES.—These very clever works of
patience, industry, and talent, are begining to attract at-
tention. Wattie and Meg, the first creations of the artist's
skill, were formed out of a stone 21 tons, six years ago, and
were executed in five months ; the block out of which old
Clootie and his prize were cut weighed 8 tons, and was com-
pleted, three years ago, in six months; and the block out of
which Tam, his horse, and the witch are cut weighed 16 tons,
and was sculptured only last year. This last work took the
artist fourteen months to accomplish, and he was offered for
it when completed two hundred guineas. Of the admirable
workmanship exhibited in these various groups it is difficult
to speak in terms of sufficient praise. The grouping and the
attitudes are admirable, the expression is exquisite, and even
the working up of all the details, down to the pin in Meg's
" jup," the pen of the exciseman, the sark of Paisley harp of
witch Nanny, the nails in Tam's shoes, or in those of his
mare, the fiddle, apparently hollow, of Clootie—all, all, are
wrought up with such a finish, that no description can do
them full justice. The supports of the figures are admirably
contrived, so as to form part of the grouping. The cask of
the exciseman, for example, forms the connecting link be-
ween the base and the figure of Clootie, while the excise-
man's hat, lost in the scuffle, serves to support one of his
feet. The arch stones of the brig, and the legs of Nanny,
serve as a support to Tam and his mare, and so on of other
supports. Nothing is thus lost, but all shows the skill,
ingenuity, and resource of the artist. Any attempt, in the
brief space to which we must confine ourselves, to do justice
to these beautiful figures, or to the artist who formed them,
would fail, and we must let it suffice to recommend the
reader to call and judge for himself by inspection. He will
soon forget that the materials on which he gazes are of stone,
and will think himself in the veritable presence of the parties,
rendered so celebrated by the pen of the poet, and now em-
bodied in reality, ann furnished with a local habitation and a
name, by the exquisite touch of the artist's chisel. We
strongly recommend a visit to these inimitable figures, in
the firm belief that every spectator will admit, that he him-
self, especially when the smallness of entry money is con-
sidered, is infinitely a greater gainer by the visit than the
unassuming artist.
CHARGE OF STEALING A LARGE QUANTITY OF IRON.—
At the police-court yesterday, James Conway, keeper of a
marine store, Matthew Robinson, a night-watchman at a
foundry, and Peter Morrison, day porter at the same place,
were placed at the bar on a charge of being implicated in
stealing a quantity of iron.—A police-officer stated that about
tight o'clock on Wednesday morning he observed the pri-
soner Conway go up to a loaded cart in Crompton-street,
nearly oppositethe gate of the Waterloo Dock. He (prisoner)
spoke to the man who drove it, and went with it to the weigh-
ing machine in Bath-street. Witness afterwards ascertained
that the cart contained iron, weighing 48 cwt. 3 qrs. net.
The owner. of the cart stated he had been called on, on the
previous night, by a man whom he did not know, (not one
of the prisoners so fur as he could recognise,) and who was
accompanied by Mrs. Conway, the wife of the prisoner of
that name, but who said nothing. The man engaged a cart to
take some iron from the Liver Foundry, in Crompton-street,
to Lauticelot s-hey next morning, (Wednesday,) as early as
convenient, and he sent the cart accordingly soon after six
o'clock.—The carter who drove it said, that the prisoner
Robinson opened the gate to admit the cart, and also shut it
after he had taken his load. Two or three men assisting him
to load the cart, with iron-bolts and screws, and scrap iron.
This was about seven o'clock in the morning. The prisoner
Robinson, on being told that the cart had come for some iron
for the Mersey Forge, said it was in the shed, and ordered
the men to load it. The prisoner Conway went with the
cart down Crompton-street, and along Waterloo-road. Con-
way then told him to go and get it weighed at the Bath-
street weighing machine.—The weighing-house keeper said
that the carter and Conway had,. the cart and its contents
weighed. The gross weight was e 8 cwt. 1 qr. They did not
nay for the weighing, saying they. would return with the cart
to get it tared, and would then give the names of the parties
from whom it was received, and going to, so that the ticket
might be filled up. They did not, however, return. The cart
was driven to Launcelot's-hey, and kecked opposite to the
prisoner's (Conway's) store.—The policeman followed it and
saw the iron ; but as no one offered to take it away,
he went up
and took Conway into custody. Mr. John Finch and Mr.
Duncan Littlejohn stated that they were trustees of the es-
tate of Messrs. Marsden, Rodgers and Co., to which the iron
belonged. It had been sold to the Mersey F.
it, Forge Company,
and an order had been made out for its delivery. The pri-
soner Morrison was authorised to deliver but not the pri-
soner Robinson. The former had charge of the yard in the
day, and ought to have been there at six in the morning
the latter had no authority to deliver it.—As no evidence
appeared against Morrison, he was discharged. Robinson
stated, in his defence, that he was perfectly innocent ; that
he thought the cart had come from the Mersey Forge Com-
pany ; that Morrison was frequently late in coming to the
foundry in the morning, sometimes so late as eight or nine
o'clock in the morning, and that in his absence he had fre-
quently delivered. articles in Ibis name. It afterwards.ap-
reared, by some further evidence, that Robinson had after-
wards (on the same day) called on the weighing-machine
keeper, and asked him if lie had weighed a load of iron, ad-
ding, in replying to a question put to him, that he feared
• there was something wrong. An order was
also
produced
for the delivery of the iron ; but this, it was again contended,
Morrison alone ought to have attended to. Under the cir-
cumstances, Mr. Rushton committed both the parties for
trial ; but having strong doubts as regarded any guilty con-
nivance on the part of Robinson,ob he was alloweil to be libe-
rated on bail, himself in £3O, and two others in £l5 each.
The prisoner appeared, from his dress and demeanour, to be
much above the usual class of persons employed in his line
of life . —The prisoner Conway applied to be also admitted to
bail, but this Mr. Rushton peremptorily refused.